Let me tell you about this Brand New World.

In the year 20XX, a system error caused nuclear plants across the United States and Europe to malfunction. No one was quite sure if it was a form of cyber terrorism or an actual problem in the programming. After months of trying to get the plants back under control, they were unable to prevent a total nuclear meltdown. The resulting fallout blocked out the sun, and a nuclear winter began. The northern hemisphere was rendered completely inhabitable. A billion people died immediately from the explosions and another two billion died in the next ten years from radiation poisoning, starvation, fires, freezing temperatures, and cancer. It was determined that the Northern hemisphere would remain uninhabitable from the radiation for the next several hundred thousand years. Southern governments attempted to shut down borders to prevent political unrest within their borders but to no avail. Over the next twenty years, governments were overthrown and a new system rose from the ashes of the old one. Most of the remaining human population suffered from various health conditions, thanks to the huge amounts of radiation coming from the North, so medicine evolved quickly to keep up with the rate of disease. The new governments immediately invested huge amounts of resources into producing qualified medical staff. There was now an abundance of doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals, and they were tasked with healing the human race. With nuclear radiation still flowing from the North, the governments had to come up with a way to protect cities from the toxic rain and snow that fell every so often. Things like hourly weather reports,

mandatory anti-radiation facilities in every residential and commercial building, and underground passages and transportation could keep the remaining population as healthy as possible in day to day life. After the age of twelve, biannual cancer screenings are mandatory for everyone. Water is collected from deep underground springs and processed. Food is grown in isolated biodomes scattered throughout the cities. After turning sixteen, every healthy able-bodied person must spend four months per year for ten years doing agricultural service of some sort. Meat is rarely eaten, except for small animals like chicken, guinea pigs, and rabbits. Vitamins and other nutritional supplements are produced in laboratories and distributed among the population to ensure everyone is getting the nutrients they need. Hunting is expressly forbidden. Eating their meat may be dangerous for humans, and many populations have not yet recovered from the natural disaster. The story takes place in a post-capitalist society where workers have direct representation in the government. There are many different parties that work together, each one representing different demographics, and each one carrying an equal vote. Representatives typically work exclusively for their respective parties for a year or two, when they retire and return to their every day lives. They are tasked with representing their constituents. Representatives are chosen through popular elections. All government meetings are broadcast live on national television, and there are question and answer sessions where citizens can call in and directly participate in the discussion. Most governments have little to no power outside urban areas. While anyone can technically come in and live in another city with relative ease, people are

generally suspicious of outsiders since immigration is rare. Xenophobia is common and is not usually talked about. Other forms of prejudice still exist, such as transphobia and racism. The government coalitions have programs to educate the general population on how to treat others, and there is progress being made, but its slow. It is illegal to discriminate based on sexuality, gender, disability, race, nationality, appearance, or body size, but of course, people still find ways around hiring those they consider ugly or subhuman. Nuclear energy has been banned completely. Fossil fuels are used to a limited extent, but for the most part, energy is drawn from tidal, wind, and solar energy. Cars and airplanes are used in long distance trips between cities. There are few trains that travel long distances. Within cities, people ride bicycles, use trains or subways, or even ride horses. There are few, if any, people living in the northern hemisphere. Countries like Brazil, South Africa, Australia, and Indonesia now dominate the global political scene. Fortunately, they all work together to restore the environment and to create a new world, to ensure that such a catastrophe will never happen again. The story takes place in Brazil, in the new capital, Rio de Janeiro. It was cleverly nicknamed Neo Rio when it was inaugurated and the name stuck. Neo Rio is home to 10 million people. It is the largest metropolitan area in the world. Its official languages are Portuguese and English, with significant numbers of Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish speakers. Most people are bilingual (think current-day Quebec) and all government documents are written in both languages.

The concept of nationality still exists, but most people no longer have home countries. Many simply identify themselves by race or ancestry. There is a small military force used for security purposes during intercity travel. This military is an international force that does not answer to any particular government, but must observe any and all rules and restrictions in any given countrys territory. They are highly trained and capable, but unlike in modern day militaries, the new army is open about their actions and routinely reports activities to government agencies. City borders are overseen by a small group of soldiers the Border Patrol Force, which is simply an agency that Many still live outside the cities, and they often attack travelers for food. There are reports of cannibalism and the like, but these things are difficult to confirm. People who live in the wild are usually referred to as Outsiders. While they are too few in number to actually overtake an entire city, even a small one, they pose a risk to individuals and so most people are wary of non-natives. They can never really be sure if someone hails from another city or if they are an Outsider. Outsiders carry considerable stigma, and while governments are willing to fit them into society, many people actively avoid Outsiders, even if they have been living in a city for years. Essentially, day to day life hasnt changed very much. People dont need to worry about food or shelter or clothing. Basic needs are met fairly easily, and most of the population works in either agriculture or the medical field. People are generally content with their lives.

However, not everything goes as it should. There are rumors of Outsiders who enter society but are unable to adapt. At first, people who lived on the Outside may begin exhibiting signs of emotional disturbances. Then they may have momentary lapses in their control of complex motor functions. It eventually progresses into full-blown psychotic episodes, seizures, and eventually, death. No one understands why it happens, and not every Outsider who is integrated into society develops this strange condition. It affects children, adults, and the elderly and can surface at any given moment. The disease takes roughly ten years to finally take its toll, and the fatality rate is 100%. There is no cure, no known cause. Doctors think it might be a prion malfunction, like mad cow disease, or perhaps heavy metal poisoning or radiation sickness. However, there have been no reports of similar symptoms appearing in people who still live on the Outside. It doesnt appear to be contagious or have any particular triggers. Oddly enough, the full moon affects the severity of the symptoms, though this is only a casual observation that doctors have not been able to confirm. They call it Outsider sickness.

Naota Mori Age: 19 Height: 56 Weight: 103lbs Nationality/ethnicity: Japanese/East Asian Eye color: mostly pink with flecks of slate grey Hair color: shoulder length and white Home: Naota lives in a small apartment by himself in Neo Rio. If he were an animal, he would be: an Arctic fox General appearance notes: Naota is albino. He has a small angular face, almond-shaped eyes, and small, flat lips. His eyebrows and eyelashes are white and he has extremely pale skin. Hes very susceptible to sunburn so he constantly smells like sunscreen. His eyesight is fairly poor. Naota is androgynous in appearance. He is naturally thin, but doesnt eat much anyway. Naota sometimes uses mascara and outlines his eyebrows in black so it doesnt look like hes completely hairless. Personality: Naota is comfortable with his appearance. Hes laid back, gentle, and generally good-natured about most things. He very rarely gets angry and usually smiles a lot. Naota finds it easy to talk to others. Background: Naotas parents died when he was fairly young. He was raised by his fathers brother and was a fairly happy child. When he was eighteen, he and his uncle took a trip outside the city. The car malfunctioned and crashed. Naotas uncle died immediately. For several days, Naota lay in the wilderness in agony, waiting for rescue. After four days, he was finally discovered by passing travelers and taken to a hospital in Neo Rio. His right wrist was shattered and his right femur was broken in three places. Naota was delirious from

hunger and his body temperature was only 32 C. In addition, doctors soon discovered that he had lost huge chunks of his memory. Naota spent several months at the hospital trying to get full use of his legs back and working on strengthening his memory. He cant remember a lot from his childhood, and since most of his close relatives are dead, his past remains somewhat of a mystery. Since the accident, Naota has had difficulty learning new skills and often forgets things most people would remember, like the names of new acquaintances. To make up for it, he became personable and friendly, making sure he touches new people gently, repeating their names while speaking to them, and maintaining eye contact. The effect is somewhat jarring on others, as most people dont expect to be treated with such warmth from strangers, but Naota needs to be friendly so he can associate feelings and touch with people. It is the only way he feels he can connect with others. He is extremely organized. Naota writes everything down, first in a small notebook he carries with him, then in his cell phone. At the end of the day, he rereads his notes and writes a small report of the days events on his computer. Before going to bed, Naota leaves himself notes on the bathroom door, briefly recapping the previous days events and making a small list of items to accomplish for the day. He works hard on his memory, though most people dont realize the amount of effort he has to put in just to get through the day. In fact, most dont realize there is anything wrong with Naota until they come to his apartment. There are corkboards everywhere and stacks upon stacks of neatly places notebooks

containing notes from every day since the accident. Naota keeps everything he writes on, at least until he can organize, type up, scan, and save every scrap of paper. Then he backs up copies of everything on various hard drives. Naota knows that information hes get it back. His as he would like to his task. should he lose any of the gathered, he will never be able to memory isnt recovering as quickly it to, so he is extremely dedicated

In addition to his severe memory loss, Naota has some pain and numbness in his wrist from time to time, and he cant play any sports involving physical contact. Thankfully, he is left-handed. Naota considers these to be minor, considering he spent so much time exposed to the elements after the crash. He was born with albinism, which earned him a great deal of stares while growing up, but Naota always liked his appearance. He has astigmatism so he has to wear glasses when reading or writing. Naota wants to become a nurse but feels hes not ready to go to school just yet.

Junko Watanabe Age: 21 Height: 510 Weight: 168lbs Nationality/ethnicity: Japanese/East Asian and South African/Black Eye color: dark brown Hair color: black and grey, choppy long blunt bangs cropped short in the backthink Ramona Flowers Home: Deijiko lives with Imanja and Fatima in a small apartment in New Leblon If she were an animal, she would be: a hyena General appearance: Junko is tall and athletic in build. Her face is long and oval-shaped, with full lips, a flat nose, and small, almond-shaped eyes. Junko was born with a cleft palate and still has a minor scar on her upper lip. Her skin is a dark olive tone. Her hair is naturally very dark, almost black, but is beginning to go grey, something she freaks out over every so often. She is somewhat flat-chested so she usually wears sports bras. Personality: Junko rarely smiles. She doesnt show much emotion, but unlike Naota, who simply disregards unpleasant attitudes as personality quirks, Junko is fairly quick to anger. She usually has a comeback ready for every situation. Junko is a fairly cautious person who keeps people at arms distance. Rarely does she make friends and she can definitely come off as cold or unfriendly at first. However, Junko is an extremely loyal person once her trust is earned. Junko enjoys solitude. She is a quiet but confident person and while she rarely speaks or smiles, when she does, its usually for a good reason. She learned how to become an excellent judge of character to avoid getting hurt, but sometimes its unavoidable. Once she loses trust in someone, theyll never have a

second chance. Junko is young but acts much older, and while she isnt necessarily the mothering type, she looks out for others like a big sister. She has a very clearly defined set of morals and can seem stubborn until you realize where she is coming from. Overall, Junko is likeable but aloof, and she will give others the shirt off her back if necessary. However, she makes it quite clear that her generosity is not a sign of weakness, but a true display of her strength. Background: As a child, Junko had dreams about going to bed and waking up Christmas morning to discover she had become a Real Girl. Her parents suspected she wasnt normal when Junko innocently asked when she would become a girl like her mother. At that moment, her parents realized something was up. They took her to the local childrens clinic and the doctors helped Junko realize she was transgender. The clinic was a specialized center that dealt specifically with transgender children. All of the staff identifies as transgender so the children can best receive the care they need. After an evaluation, Junko began taking hormones and going to therapy to try and help her construct a healthy and positive self-image. As an adult, she feels like she passes quite well. Her parents have always been supportive and would do anything to protect their daughter, but theres only so much they could do when it comes to protecting her from the outside world. Junko learned from an early age that things empty phrases like equality mean very little when applied to someone who is still considered an anomaly in society.

She was always a serious child, but in her adolescence she grew an iron-strong defense against other people and locked herself away. She has decided against surgery of any sort, since she is quite happy with the genitalia she was born with, and hormone therapy has helped her grow a modest bust. She experiences dysphoria sometimes, but knows she is lucky to have transitioned so early. Junko is somewhat against to outing herself to others because she is afraid of how others will react, especially romantic interests. Her dysphoria kicks into high gear at the very thought of coming out to another person, and so since she passes well, Junko chooses to keep quiet until directly asked. She wont lie, but she also wont willingly offer information about her, especially when it comes to whats in her pants. Besides, she feels it is no ones business but her own. Junko isnt that self-conscious as far as her gender identity goes, but she is very insecure with her smile. She has a faint scar in the middle of her upper lip, which she swears up and down that everyone can see clear as day, and her teeth are pretty crooked. She sometimes refers to her mouth as a bear trap because her teeth look scary, though most people probably look surprised when she smiles because it happens so rarely. She enjoys running long distance and keeps herself in top shape. Despite claiming to be completely adverse to domestic tasks, Junko is an excellent cook. She studies medicine at the Federal University of Neo Rio de Janeiro and wants to be a doctor.

Ian Age: 26 Height: 63 Weight: 190lbs Nationality/ethnicity: Chilean/Latino and Egyptian/Arabic Eye color: Green and light brown Hair color: Dark brown; very thick, somewhat wavy. Home: Ian lives with his parents in Flamengo but spends a good deal of time at Naotas apartment. If he were an animal, he would be: a grey wolf. General appearance: Ian is tall and muscular, but lean. His skin is a medium to dark olive color. His facial hair grows rather quickly so he limits himself to trimming his beard every morning rather than shaving, as its too much of a hassle to stay clean shaven. Ians eyes are a striking green, highlighted with very light brown flecks. His lashes and eyebrows are thick and dark. Ian has a rugged sort of look that contradicts his shy nature. His hair is often unkempt and messy, not because he doesnt care for appearances, but because he likes to keep his face hidden. After meeting Naota, Ian opens up a little more. He gets semiregular haircuts but remains conservative when expressing emotions. Personality: Ian tends to keep to himself. He takes a while to warm up to others. He likes spending time outside the city. Ian works for the Wildlife Conservation Committee of Neo Rio de Janeiro. He captures animals and studies their behaviors, but mostly spends several months tracking certain animal populations. Ian enjoys the solitude of nature. Ian is methodical in his work and keeps a few observational diaries, though he is nowhere near as

neat as Naota or Imanja. He often gets lost in work and forgets about others in the process. After meeting Naota, Ian begins to care more about human interaction. He is protective of Naota and starts to resent being away from him. Backstory: Ian was born to a Chilean miner and an Egyptian veterinarian. His father took him hiking a lot and taught him how to rock climb and walk through the dense forests outside of Neo Rio. Soon Ian was nearly as silent as an animal stalking its prey. His mother usually brought home different animals as part of her job and Ian began to take an interest in animal rearing. As a teenager, he made extra money by selling animals he caught during government-approved hunting seasons.

Adriano Age: 23 Height: 61 Weight: 190lbs Nationality/ethnicity: Afro Brazilian/Latino Eye color: Dark brown. Hair color: Chestnut brown in tight curls. Home: Adriano lives in Copacabana by the beach. If he were an animal, he would be: a boa constrictor. General appearance: At first glance, Adriano is your typical Casanova Latin lover type of man: tall, with a year-round dark tan, and extremely handsome. He is athletic and strong. Adriano keeps his facial hair neatly trimmed at all times. He is pretty vain, maintain a perfect coif whether he is spending a day in his underwear, or going out for groceries. He usually sports a mischievous bad boy smirk. Personality: Adriano seems like a vapid, selfimportant surfer type, but like many in Neo Rio, hes a medical student and quite serious about his studies. When hes not studying, he spends most of his time at the beach or dancing. Hes fairly polite but thinks chivalry is a mans greatest virtue. Adriano can seem condescending when in fact hes simply attempting to be courteous. Adriano considered himself to be exclusively heterosexual until he meets Naota during his residency. He is somewhat of a romantic rival and foil to Ian. (Adriano is polished, white-collar, somewhat arrogant while Ian is rugged, blue-collar, and humble.) Ian and Adriano have an odd relationship because while there is potential for tension between them, Adriano appears to be affectionate towards Ian as well.

Background: Adriano is an orphan.

Imanja Age: 26 Height: 6 Weight: unknown Nationality/ethnicity: Brazilian/Black and Indian/Southeast Asian Eye color: light brown Hair color: honey blonde; waist-length with heavy, blunt bangs. Home: Imanja lives with Junko and Fatima in a small apartment in New Leblon. If she were an animal, she would be: a crane. General appearance: Imanja is physically striking in many ways. She is incredibly tall in a time where people dont usually get bigger than 59. Her skin is very dark and contrasts greatly with her naturally light eyes and super-long blonde hair. However, she knows people stare most at her body. Imanja looks like an average sized person who was suddenly stretched and grew five inches in all directions. Personality: Imanja is incredibly warm and friendly. She loves being around others and does her hardest to make people feel welcome. She is extremely organized and orderly and always shows up to events at least ten minutes early. Imanja is feminine, often wearing high heels and pastel colors to make up for how awkward she feels in her own body. She is aware of how people react to her and does her best to ignore their reactions, but it gets to her sometimes. She has anorexia nervosa and absolutely refuses to talk about it. Part of the reason is denial; she prefers to ignore it and hope it goes away on its own. Also, Imanja thinks prying into the private lives of others is incredibly rude. Imanja is generally friendly but will probably stop talking to

you for a while if you bring up her body or eating disorder. She has a pretty low opinion of herself. Imanja doesnt believe she has any reason to be sick since shes never experienced any trauma and has always been a rather happy child. She knows that these things sometimes happens spontaneously to people, but she still thinks she has no right to be mentally ill. She has struggled with anorexia for about ten years, with about three years total spent in the hospital. She thinks this is an incredibly boring topic so she avoids discussing it at all. Despite this, Imanja hates fighting and confrontation and only complains when absolutely necessary. She is easy-going and caringshe just doesnt care for herself very much. Junko often tells her she has a martyr complex. Imanja agreesshe finds herself to be a worthless and uninteresting person so she devotes herself to others. Background: Imanja was an average girl from an average family with average and loving parents. In her mind, she doesnt feel like she has a reason to be so thin, considering how her parents always encouraged her to feel positively towards herself and she was never bullied in school. Imanja was completely average in every single way possiblea decent student who participated in class regularly, a little shy but friendly once she opened up, helpful, polite, respectful. Her pleasant demeanor continued after her diagnosis of anorexia nervosa. Imanja takes some sort of pride in being able to function in spite of her disease. Unfortunately, that seems to be one of the reasons she hasnt had much success in recovery; to her, recovery is selfish. While Imanja doesnt necessarily want to be ill, she doesnt like the idea of spending

so much time taking care of health, no matter how much she needs it. Imanja earned her nursing degree and works with children. Her endless patience and empathy make her very popular on her unit. She wants to have a family someday but so far hasnt been very interested in dating anyone.

The empty Naota looked up from his cup and immediately smiled. Ian sat down in the chair in front of him before leaning in for a quick kiss. You just made that up, said Naota, feigning indignation. His lips formed a pout but he found it hard not to smile. Inside, his heart was pounding. Ian had been away at the farms outside Neo Rio, serving his duty as a citizen of the new world. Every able-bodied citizen had to serve at least four months per year in the food industry. It was an important part of the society because without full cooperation, starvation would become common once again. Ians function was especially important. During his tour, he researched better and more efficient ways to raise large animals for food and fiber. His specialty was animal husbandry and agriculture, but Ian was also quite gifted when it came to tracking animals in the wild. His findings were of vital importance for the future of food security in the new world. None of this mattered to Naota at that moment. To him, Ian was Ian. He may very well hold the future of civilization in his head, but to Naota, he was the entire universe itself. Seeing his shaggy face in person after so long was indescribable. Ian took a sip from his own cup of coffee and smirked. Yeah, I suppose I did, he said softly. Ian didnt even bother going back to his apartment to drop his things off. He too was excited to see Naota. Every single night, Ian and Naota spoke on the video phone for hours, sometimes not saying anything at all. Naota would fall asleep, and Ian would simply stay on the line, watching him and humming softly. Four months was a long time to spend away from

someone he loved so much, but it couldnt be helped. All that mattered was that they were together again. They fell into a comfortable silence, both staring nervously into their mugs of coffee as if they were on a first date. They had hardly touched, hardly spoken, hardly breathed since Ian had returned only minutes earlier. Naota wanted to remember how this moment felt. I missed you, he said softly, breaking the silence between them and looking up into Ians vivid green eyes. Naota continued, Some mornings when I woke up, I could hardly remember where I was. You know, my memory is worse on some days than others. I dont really get it. He smiled. But for some reason, even when I was in a total haze, I remembered you. Like, your face and your smell and the way it feels when Im around you. I would sometimes get goose bumps, and then your face would flash in front of me and I would remember you. Even if I didnt know who I was, I knew who you were and what you mean to me. Naotas lip began to tremble. I justI dont know how to explain it. Why would you stay in my mind like that? How is it possible? And of course, its because of how I feel towards you. Its because I like you. I love you. Ian felt his throat close up. Naotas memory was so bad, some mornings they would wake up and he would immediately push Ian off the bed because he had forgotten they had spent the night together. Naota would stare at him with genuine fear in his eyes until Ian calmed him down, gently reminding him of their relationship. Sometimes it was funny, but those first few moments of genuine terror shining in Naotas pale eyes always felt like a stab wound to

the heart. Hurting him in any way, even unintentionally, was Ians worst nightmare. He reached for Naotas icy, thin hands and held them tight. I love you, said Ian. I havent stopped thinking about you for a single moment. Nothing will ever change the way I feel about you. Not some farm work, not damaged neurons, nothing. Nothing at all. They sat there, smiling at each other through watery eyes, before they broke into nervous laughter. This is so damn sappy, you know that? Its not like you, Ian, said Naota, wiping his face with the back of his hand. But you know, Im really glad anyway. Ian nodded. Hey, let me get another cup of coffee for the road, I havent had a chance to shower or anything yet and I really want to take a nap. Alright? He stood and placed a kiss on Naotas forehead, lingering for a moment before kissing him on the nose and lips. I wont take long. Naota felt his face turn pinker than normal and nodded. He watched Ian walk up to the coffee shop counter in his dirt-covered blue jeans and worn leather jacket, looking every bit like a working class farm boy. Sighing dreamily, Naota stirred his mug mindlessly, like a schoolgirl fawning over some prep school bad boy across the courtyard. He could overhear their conversation. I want a pumpkin thing. Like, a pumpkin late. You mean a latt? Yeah, thats what I said, gimme one of those. You did NOT say latt, Ian, do not do this to me. Gimme my goddamn late, Joseph, thats the thing my man likes. Ian, you goddamn idiot.

Naota rolled his eyes, hiding his grin. Ian looked back at the table and winked. He knew Naota got a kick out of watching him torture the baristas, who were more than happy to entertain them when the shop was slow. The customer is always right. Nowhere on the menu is this thing called a late you asshole. Joseph, you understand me so well. Get me my late, will you? A pumpkin late. With a gave. Naota cant have sugar. Ian, YOU SPEAK SPANISH! Its called AGAVE! This time, Naota couldnt hold in his laughter and buried his face in his hands, practically squealing. Its okay, Joe, you dont have to put up with him today, he laughed. While the improper pronunciation of certain caffeinated drinks irritated him, Joseph enjoyed having Ian and his friends in the caf. At least they never threw temper tantrums over coffee like some of his other customers do. What can I say, I missed this illiterate motherfucker too. Ill be back with your damn LATT. Its a LATE, we dont use goddamn accent marks in English! Ian leaned back on the counter and smiled. The world felt like it was in order again.