#Brazilian justice system

[darklight-owl]

Elon Musk stop commenting on foreign countries' politics challenge (impossible)

[letters-from-cutie]

The Scouts as Your College Boyfriends [Headcanon]

CHARACTERS: Eren, Armin, Jean, Connie, Erwin and Levi x gn!Reader (slighty spicy at the end)

If you like to see others, please tell me. I'll try this concept again for Levi, and maybe Eren/Jean too. I apologize for some scenarios being bigger than others. I'm Brazilian so I don't know how college works in other places, so don't mind if sounds different to you. English is not my first language.

˗ˏˋ EREN YEAGER ˎˊ˗

He seeks justice in all his lifetimes. So, I see him enrolling in law to be a prosecutor. He wants to get justice for victims. However, he may switch to criminal defense as he learns more about the system and life.

Besides law, he's also interested in social studies so he may change his course for that. I can also see him wanting a political job, especially after high school. He aspired to make the world a better place. But, as he gets older, he becomes more skeptical about that.

Studies aside, he is such a cool guy to hang out with. He goes to some parties but never lets his studies aside. On the contrary of his high school years, as a college student, he is dedicated enough to get very good grades, though he barely studies, what an icon.

He meets you after he picks a fight with your ex. You just ended things with him and is trying to avoid him around campus. But, you would eventually have to go through his class corridor one day.

And of course, he is there when you do. The guy wants to talk to you so badly and paint himself as innocent, but Eren won't let that happen, as he already has enough of him, because of his problematic commentaries during class.

Eren, wanting no trouble with his professor, stays calm and ignores your ex during class. But, now, as he sees your ex trying to force you to speak with him, Eren finds a chance to finally get back to him.

He calls him off right there, in the middle of the corridor, in a humiliating but smart way. Eren also offers to escort you away from him. You, always the revengeful (rightly so), accept his companion.

So Eren throws his arms around your shoulders and looks behind him to shoot that look (yk the one) towards the guy. And so your love story begins.

Congrats, you got the hottest guy in college. That comes with ups and downs, but mainly ups. Eren is absolutely devoted to his partner, you. In theory, there's nothing you should be afraid of.

He'll do anything for you and will protect you from everything that can harm you. If you have a problem with a member of your group project, ask him to resolve it, and he'll be happy to oblige.

The downside of being with Eren is that he gets girls and boys enamored with him all the time. But he pays them no mind.

Eren would never look to anyone other than you, so he gets annoyed when someone tries to hit on him, and probably has a good comeback to it. Though he understands if you get jealous, and will take you immediately to the bathroom to prove you wrong.

Expect to hang out a lot with Mikasa and Armin, as Eren asks you to go with him on most of their outings. Their hangouts are mostly calm. The trio enjoys exploring towns and new places. Therefore, you should be prepared to always check on new locations and have different experiences with them.

You'll always have a place in Mikasa and Armin's hearts, and it makes Eren even more in love with you when he sees how much you guys get along.

Lastly, expect him to be in your dorm a lot. He loves to cuddle with you at night, and you can't say no to his cute sleepy face, desiring you to untie his hair and play with it. And it's even harder to say no to his sexy morning voice.

It sends shivers down your spine every time he wakes you up, asking you to stay for some minutes and skip the first period of classes. How can you say no to him when you know that in his arms you'll have the time of your life?

˗ˏˋ ARMIN ARLET ˎˊ˗

Many people link him to marine biology because of his interest in the ocean, which I agree with, but comes from a different perspective. I see him being more into the concept of traveling and discovering new things than anything.

I imagine him wanting a job that lets him stay put but also change settings from time to time. Biology and marine biology are great for that if you desire to study, protect, and care for wild flora or fauna.

Also, he sounds to me like a guy who enjoys brain challenges, so a scientific field is something that would keep him engaged. He will pursue education further than most people would, as he enjoys learning new things and overall the academic field.

But, this also means that he's a big nerd. He does hang out with his friends, but he prefers to stay indoors, so he is more likely to attend these types of reunions.

Mikasa and Eren are his best friends. He also has other companions, so he's not the lonely type of nerd. He's just a smart, yet introverted guy.

He's such a booklover, so it makes sense for him to get a part-time job at his university's library. Armin quickly learns about how everything works and it's the best at the job they ever had. So if you need any help finding something, go after him.

That's how you met him. You like the library for its silence and academic atmosphere that keep you focused on your studies. Armin's shifts are when you're also free to study, so you always see him when you go there, and quickly get a crush on the blondie.

He is such a cute and polite guy. Armin always greets you when you arrive and get a book, but you're kinda insecure that he is just being polite, seeing how he also treats other students.

But one day, you find yourself needing a helping hand to find your books. So you take it as a chance to talk to Armin. Though he seems rather busy, surrounded by two students you think you've seen before.

Going back to the shelves, you find yourself looking for this specific book for quite some time, that is until you feel him behind you. In Armin's hands lays the exact book that you need. Before handing it to you, he says that he needs to doublecheck it quickly, and goes to the direction his friends were.

When he hands the book to you, you find a cute post-it on the first page. It has a motivational phrase, a drawn smiley face, and a number. You can thank Mikasa and Eren later for the push they did on Armin, cause that's how you meet your boyfriend.

Armin is such a sweetheart. He always checks up on you: if you have studied for your tests if you've done your assignments on time, if you have rested after so many classes...

This is his way of taking care of you, in the middle of his own busy student life. Also, you don't need calendars anymore, baby boy remembers everything you say to him.

He takes you to study dates, where you'll spend half an hour studying, half an hour making out, then repeat. He settles his dorm with warm lights and will help you if you ask, somehow he can understand your lessons even better than you at first read.

If you're in the artistic field or an overall very different field for him, the relationship becomes such a learning experience for him. He enjoys sitting down at night with you, while you show him your project that you just ended. He looks at you with those big blue eyes.

He is so tender and shows so much admiration that takes your breath away, and you need to recollect yourself to go back to your work. Then, he will proudly take you to bed. He'll show you how much he enjoys your work. To relax you after your hard work, a great oil massage and some sexy times will follow.

˗ˏˋ JEAN KIRSCHTEIN ˎˊ˗

Jean is most of us out of high school: lost. So it is not a surprise that he chooses business or managing courses, - very common and vast fields to study on. He doesn't know where he wants to work yet.

All he knows is that he enjoys the frat lifestyle shown in movies. Ironically, at the same time, he wants a romance of books and he needs a job.

So as time passes, he finds himself enjoying HR, which he plans his career around and pushes his studies further. For me, Jean is a great leader and cares a lot for others, so HR is perfect for him. Plus he looks amazing in a suit/working outfit (mine and his words).

Like I said, he first wanted to experience the frat life. During his first semester, all he does is party, even more than Connie and Sasha together.

It's funny because all he wants is love and to have some fun, but he is too young and was created in a world that directed him to pursue a fuckboy life.

The reality is that he is anything but a fuckboy, he cannot even go to bed with someone without catching feelings. After some time, he can't sustain this lifestyle. With so many rejections and bad grades, he desires to change. He wishes to be a person he can be proud of.

That is how he finds himself pursuing mentoring classes. It may be for his own subjects, calculus, or for his writing, whatever you feel like you'd teach him in this scenario.

At first, you thought it was a prank... One of the top fuckboys of your college is wanting your help?

In the first classes, you have to reprehend him on some of his attitudes, but he always listens to what you say. The way you treat him so well makes him fall for you, no one had such patience with him before. So, he starts to do everything and anything to entice you.

Expect flowers on your doorstep. Chocolates will somehow slip into your bag when you aren't looking. And when opening the books you use with him, you'll find post-its with corny pick-up lines. It's obvious he wants you.

You confront him one day and tell him to spend his dedication on studies instead of trying to get into your pants. Jean was being truthful, but at first, you don't believe he'd change like that.

He promises you that he is changing into a better version of himself, and asks you to go out with him if he gets a full score in all his subjects. That seemed so impossible that you accepted the deal.

Jean took it as a challenge, and soon enough, you found yourself on a park date with him. After he spent so many nights studying to get good grades, he deserves some fun right? He even got an internship! And so more dates follow.

As a lover, this man is your devote, and you're his god/dess. He never hangs out without you, I mean never, so you bet you're gonna be friends with his friends too. He goes to fewer parties once he starts dating you.

Jean now prefers more intimate hangouts with you and his friends. He loves movie dates, because it's a win-win for him, as he can get some fun far from campus and keep his hands all around you with no one looking funny at him.

He is very touchy, so expect him to want proximity with you and be very clingy, but he does the most adorable pout when you deny him that you can't resist. Also, being so close to you allows him to lower his head and whisper nasty things in your ear. Meanwhile, his hands "innocently" roam your body.

The asshole knows what he is doing. But don't worry, handling all the teasing is worth it once you get alone in a secluded place and he kneels before you, to treat you good this time.

˗ˏˋ CONNIE SPRINGER ˎˊ˗

I'm not quite sure about his major per se, partially because I think he would not be that enthusiastic about it either. But s4 Connie gives me engineering vibes, especially electrical engineering.

That being said, his main interest is sports and frat life. He's an active and extroverted guy who likes to have fun as much as he can and may go parting sometimes.

He hangs out with Sasha and Jean the most, and sometimes with the other 104th too, making a big and messy group. But I assure you, he is the funniest and most unhinged one, never letting the hangouts get boring. Connie is the life of the group together with his best friend Sasha.

Eventually, he gets a part-time job, and becomes such a hard worker! This is great since he's able to learn to be more responsible and serious when needed.

He meets you at a party. You're in a corner, using your phone. You don't care for the party, but it was your friend's birthday. So, you had to be there.

This little guy didn't even know your friend, but he needed to get his mind off work and his upcoming tests. Eventually, Connie found you by yourself and decided to interact. Connie is not the type to let someone be uncomfortable around, he wants everyone to have a good time.

So he goes after you and stays because you picked his interests, and you both have the time of your life, dancing and laughing from his attics. When it gets too late, he takes you to your home and you offer your phone number in exchange to catch up, and so it begins...

Dating him is never boring. Baby likes to make you laugh, and says that it is the cutest motivation for him to wake up in the morning. He'll get out of his class a bit early to wait outside of your class, he tells you he was bored, and it's true, but he mainly missed you.

He messages you during your classes, sending memes and photos of his friends making funny faces at his teacher, but somehow he never gets caught.

Connie goes to parties with you to show you off to his friends. No one (especially Jean) believes that he got you initially, but after some time with you, they see how much compatible you two are.

If you're tired or not in the mood for going out, he sits with you in the car, blasting nostalgic and cheerful loud music, as you go around campus. Expect lots of sonography while you're walking around.

When you're in his or your dorm, he likes to tell you all about his day, while you guys cook or do some chores together. If you're cooking, expect many food fights ending with cute flour kisses and apologies from him. Connie is not a fan of chores (unlike Levi) but he enjoys spending time with you, so that's a bonus.

Also, please, remind him to study for his exams! He gets forgetful about this kinda of stuff and may get lower grades because of it, or procrastinate if he finds it boring. However, do not study with him, he will not let you, and you'll get lower grades but it may be worth it for the laughs and the flirting.

Look out, or he'll take you to the bedroom as soon as he starts to check you out so focused, so sexy for him. And I'll have to tell you; after he treats you so well, you will not want to do anything other than be lost in him.

˗ˏˋ ERWIN SMITH ˎˊ˗

Of all of them, he's the most obvious to me. First of all, he desires to get multiple degrees during his life, as a curious and cultured guy. So depending on your age difference, you may meet him during his first, second, or even third degree. He thinks about being a professor too, like his dad, but being more of an activist too.

Erwin definitely gets some work inside the university, either as a mentor or helping the faculty. Therefore, he is spending most of his time there. That's how he knows almost everyone around college, or at least most faculty members and talented students.

He is commonly seen with his friends: Levi, Hanji, Nanaba, and Mike, doing plans for hangouts with them. They can range from a simple movie night to an elaborate weekend in a cabin in the mountains.

Usually, the fun hangouts, like parks and trials are planned by Hanji. The active ones are chosen by Mike or Nanaba, such as going out to bars or playing sports. And Levi says that he never wants to go, but he is there anyway. They walk around college together alluring this "veteran" aura, very cool.

For one semester, you'll see him with your favorite professor, Mr. Smith, who you need to talk with. Erwin just stands there, looking so classy and smart that you're intimidated at first. However, as soon as your professor sees you, he introduces you to Erwin, who takes an interest in the project you're developing.

With that, you discover that he's the professor's son, while the older man just looks at you both with a strange knowing look. Erwin offers to help you, with your project, but he probably can't due to his proximity to your professor. He knows that. Erwin is just using it as an excuse to ask for your number, and it works.

Erwin is such a good boyfriend and a gentleman. He always meets you before the morning classes with a warm cup of your favorite beverage. He's such a busy person, with all the classes he is attending, work, and projects, but somehow he always makes time for his friends and you.

Also, he loves planning dates and invites you to the hangouts he has with his friends. Prepare yourself for cute museum dates, and fancy dinners after he gets his salary of the month. He likes to spoil you.

He surprises you sometimes, asking to meet in a random campus location, and surprising you with a sweet picnic under the tree. Erwin states that he's making up for his busy day ahead, and you both sit in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company and maybe a book. That is at least until you hear Hanji's greetings from afar, followed by Levi trailing behind them with a scowl.

Sometimes, you wonder if dating Erwin is a package that comes with his friends as extra. However, be assured that at the end of the day, you'll get your alone time with him behind the sheets. Erwin will make it up to you in a way that'll make you even forget that anyone else exists other than him.

˗ˏˋ LEVI ACKERMAN ˎˊ˗

This guy doesn't even know why he's here nor how he got here in the first place. I mean, he is such a flexible character, I can see him in many degrees but for this multiple headcanon I'll stick with just three.

Levi as a teacher would be so iconic. He may pursue education because he had good teachers before and believed that they helped him take things seriously and not go to "the bad side" of life.

I see him in law pursuing it to be a judge or prosecutor too, he wants to see "rats" (his words), going to jail and will be pleased to be the one putting them there.

Since criminology fits more his persona so well, I don't think I need to discuss it that much. I'll just state that detective/forensic Levi would be the best of his generation. So it definitely an option too.

Enough of flattering him. As a student, Levi terrifies his professors, why? you ask me. He walks into class, sits down, and almost never moves an inch. He does not talk or ask questions. At the end of the term, he'll get the highest scores. He even works in a respected office already! The professors' days are counted... Ah wait that was flattering again? Oh well...

Anyway, he is the scary dog of his group, I mean like those scary little dogs, not the big ones. Levi walks with people twice his side, who together know everyone in college, but he just sticks with the three of them.

It's with them that he passes his free time. It's funny because he may sound like a hater and says that they are glued to him. But it's actually the opposite, he is the one to look after their hangouts the most.

One thing about college Levi is that he loves his coffee and tea. He knows every café in town but doesn't really enjoys the college ones, like the one you've been transferred to.

He only goes there when there is no other option, and says that the coffee is cold and the tea always tastes like toilet water. That is why your coworkers prepare you mentally for the infamous day you'll get to serve him.

The day comes, and you're alone at the counter, you don't even realize that is The guy everyone was so scared about. You quietly hand him his thing, and he goes away just as quietly, and so it becomes a routine. One day he comes with his friends, who are throwing you looks every moment or so (it's just Hanji).

Eventually, they leave. When you go to clean their tables, you see a note on it, it's a number. It's not Levi who wrote it, but Hanji. He didn't allow them to give out his number so they gave theirs. Soon enough, you start to hang out with the group.

And being part of the group means being part of Levi's heart. Your relationship starts like that, evolving from friends, to fwb to lovers. However, Levi treats you like you're his for so long, and you're dumb to not notice (his words).

Expect him to always walk you home. Look at him and you'll see him already looking back at you, then acting as if he didn't. He'll fetch you drinks and food during class recess, and he'll do so much stuff a boyfriend would do to you.

Eventually, he does become your boyfriend. Like I said, Levi already treated you like you were his before it was official, but after it, it just becomes less subtle. He will only get enough sleep when you're in bed with him. Also, your place will be spotless, he says that you can't clean but it's just an excuse for him to do something back.

Levi will stay by your side as you complain about a messed up class you had. He allows you to cry on his neatly cleaned sweater about a failed test. He'll even buy you ice cream while you ramble about your group member who didn't do their job. And like Eren, if someone else were to blame for your stress or tears, he would do something about it.

He never expects you to do something back for him. You being here for him is enough, it's his main motivation for dealing with annoying college life every day.

But if you're really into rewarding him them we will not complain if you get in his lap and be good for him too. Oh, it may even become a competition, as you both pleasure each other for hours after a tiring and busy day.

Like/Reblog if you enjoyed reading it, and Follow for more AOT content 💖

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

'Indigenous people are murdered, and the killers go unpunished,' say organizations in solidarity with Brazil's Guarani Kaiowá people

The document was issued after the murder of a young Indigenous man in Mato Grosso do Sul state

Following the murder of a young Indigenous man on Wednesday morning (18) in the municipality of Antônio João in Mato Grosso do Sul state, organizations published a note in solidarity with the Guarani Kaiowá, expressing their rejection of violence against Indigenous people. Neri Guarani Kaiowa, 22, was shot in the head in a reclaimed area during an action by the Mato Grosso do Sul Military Police.  

The attacks began on Thursday (12) when the Indigenous people reclaimed the Barra farm, which overlaps with the Nhanderu Marangatu Indigenous Land (TI, in Portuguese). The Military Police, who were protecting the property, attacked them. They shot three people, and one was hospitalized. 

In Douradina, around 180 kilometers from Antônio João, the Guarani Kaiowá also face violence as they reclaim their ancestral territory of Panambi Lagoa-Rica.  

“We, the signatories of this note, demand that the authorities of the Brazilian state, government, and judiciary prioritize the protection of Indigenous communities to avoid further bloodshed on this land,” the note stresses. The document questions the actions of the justice system, which “cannot remain silent in an unequal battle where only Indigenous people are murdered, while the perpetrators and masterminds go unpunished.”

Continue reading.

[allens-chocolate-dreams]

An introduction to all my Sidesteps!

Details under the cut.

Ollie Gardener

- Technically Oliver Gardener, but nobody calls them that.

- Nonbinary transmasc, they/them pronouns, pansexual, Latine.

- Puppet is a short Latina lady called Yasmin, and villain name is Nerium, coming from the scientific name of their favorite toxic flowers: oleanders. Armor appearance varies by playthrough, but is usually flower-themed.

- Blue leaning stats for the most part, tech savvy tactician, Puppetmaster scar with Justice motivation, sui tag true, either Anarchist or "prepare them" Hero Hunter depending on playthrough. Base is the tech shop.

- Is very manipulative, uses their cute appearance and tastes for soft colors and clothing to their advantage, very calculating despite being empathetic. Obsessed with plants, especially flowers, and has a fascination for fungi, specifically mushrooms as well. They're an artist, and frequently paints nature in their free time when they're not being dragged down by their faulty mental health.

- Has a vice on sweets.

- Romance path varies, but has had feelings for Julia, Daniel, and Argent.

- Has scoliosis and chronic lower back pain, uses a cane when leaving the house.

Chris Bunny

- Trans woman, she/her pronouns, bisexual, half-Japanese + half White Brazilian.

- Puppet is a tall mixed woman named Alice, and her villain identity is Puppetmaster.

- Orange leaning stats for Daring and Arrogance, and high Infamy, but her wavering empathy keeps her from being a full Orangestep. Streetsmart tactician, varies between Friendless and Puppetmaster scar, and between Anger or Revenge motivation, depending on playthrough. Mob Boss who's friendly with her crew and showed them her face and base. Base is in the luxury property. Armor is Imposing.

- She's reckless, loves to banter and fight even being a tactician, and despite being very driven and able to be quite ruthless, she's got a strong grip on her morals and lines she won't cross for the most part. However, she is still of the opinion that the ends justify the means. Passionate and stubborn, struggles with caring too much about others when she's supposed to be detached in order to be safe and achieve her goals. Can be very caring when she allows herself to be. Has a lot of hobbies, but the main ones include reading children's books, fashion, singing and playing guitar.

- Main vice is sweets, but drinks alcohol when she hits rock bottom as well.

- Main romance path is Ortega, but has also been with Daniel or Argent in some playthroughs.

- Has mild scoliosis and chronic pain in her hands, especially her right wrist due to repeated injury. Sensitive skin can get easily irritated from various materials.

Nathane Mariom

- Femme-leaning Bigender, she/they pronouns, asexual lesbian, White.

- Puppet is a tall White man named Nate, villain identity is Decayed.

- Blue leaning stats for the most part, but ruthless levels are unstable. Tech savvy tactician, Friendless scar with Revenge motivation, sui tag true, Anarchist who wants to break the system. Base is in the tunnels. Armor varies between Mysterious and Terrifying.

- She's apathetic, shy but blunt, struggles with recognizing her own emotions, has severe depression and does not take care of herself at all. Doesn't know how to connect to people, and though they're not openly malicious, struggles to set limits for themselves in their villainy, which often hurts a lot more people than they acknowledge. Fucked up tendencies they're not completely aware of. Main hobby is doodling and learning about ocean creatures, especially whales, sharks and jellyfish.

- Has a vice on coffee and extremely caffeinated energy drinks.

- Main romance path is the poly with Argent and Julia, though they have also been involved with Mortum as the puppet in some paths.

- Has widespread chronic pain and fatigue, likely due to fibromyalgia worsened by trauma and nerve damage. Used to just suffer without support, but as of Retribution and Revelations, has gotten a manual wheelchair with power assist and an upright rollator to help with the pain in their daily life. Sometimes uses a single crutch around the house.

Matheus Carvalho

- Trans man, he/him pronouns, gay, Black with a Brazilian heritage.

- Puppet is a short Black man named João, villain identity is Fallen.

- Bluestep, very empathetic, though there's some minor arrogance there depending on playthrough. Tech savvy tactician, Outsider scar with Fate motivation, sui tag true, varies between Hero Hunter and Anarchist. Base is in the tech shop. Villain armor varies between Mysterious and Functional.

- He's empathetic, prefers to be gentle when he can, is quiet and very shy, struggles with getting close to people or believing he's able to make connections. His beliefs in Fate are very strong, and he believes he's doomed to fall and fail no matter what, which both comforts and terrifies him. Has an all-or-nothing approach to things, struggles with nuance and rigid thinking. Despite everything, he tries his best to be kind and tell the truth when he's able to. At the same time, struggles with transitions between lies and truth, and as such often gets caught up in trouble when he holds on to a single instance for too long. Hobbies include baking, fashion, reading poetry and practicing capoeira.

- Has a vice on both sweets and coffee.

- Main romance path is the poly with Ricardo and Chen.

- Has significant scoliosis, chronic pain in both his lower back and right leg, uses a cane for balance as well as to take the weight off his painful joints. Has sensory processing disorder and episodic migraines, which his tinted glasses help with.

Zenith Orionis

- Nonbinary, zie/hir, aroace-spec panromantic, very mixed.

- Puppet is a short mixed woman named Carina, villain identity is Hunger.

- Maxed out Daring and Arrogance stats with extremely high Empathy to balance it out. Tech savvy tactician, Hunger scar with Better Life motivation, sui tag true, art Thief who's very good at hir job. Villain base varies, armor is Terrifying.

- Zie's chaotic, mischievous, thrill seeking, self-destructive and hyperactive to cover up the fact that hir senses are dulled and hir senses of personhood and connection to the world are messed up. Zie's usually kinda sweet, if snarky, and doesn't mean to cause unnecessary harm, but will often do so due to hir reckless behavior. Has a distorted mentality when it comes to the logics of villainy and manipulation, genuinely believes that zie's doing good by hurting the heroes and giving them a "challenge", for example. Constantly looking for intense sensory feelings, which makes it drawn to eyestrain, Scene and Weirdcore stuff, fidget toys, snacks with strong flavors, and abstract art. Has a special interest in space and galaxy stuff, which is where hir name comes from, and hir main hobbies include art and singing.

- Has an extreme sweet vice, but will often indulge in caffeine and alcohol as well.

- Romance path is with Danny.

- Has chronic pain and nerve damage in hir right shoulder, lower back, left hip, both knees and right ankle. Uses very colorful crutches to get by in civilian life, and relies on hir armor's pain management systems for villain work.

And these are all my Sidesteps! I hope you like them ^_^

[contemplatingoutlander]

An Australian lawyer's view of Trump being the front runner for the GOP presidential nomination

As an Australian living in a constitutional democracy and a defence lawyer I’m finding the whole Trump saga extremely disturbing. Disturbing that an individual who has attacked democratic norms and values, sneered at the jurisdiction of the courts and justice system and attempted to destroy any or all of the tenets of democracy, freedom for minorities and common decency is the front runner for the Republican nomination for president and if successful could have all federal convictions and charges brought against him expunged or otherwise dismissed. Had Trump been subject to Australian law he wouldn’t be a contender for any political position, he’d have challenges being appointed a dog catcher because no political party in Australia would have either defended or sanctioned his behaviour and he would have most certainly been expelled from every political party, no matter how conservative or left leaning. The Republican parties blind support of Trump that could land him back in the White House is a real and present danger not just to America but to the free world and risks American alliances carefully developed and nurtured over decades since the Second World War. Careful consideration should be taken when appointing a person to such power over national security, nuclear arms and a judicial system and diplomatic network which he has already demonstrated a willingness to weaponise in his own interest.* --Richard Busuttil, Australia, commenting on a NY Times opinion column

Seen through the eyes of this Australian lawyer, the Republican Party's decision to keep backing the traitorous Trump seems not only incredibly corrupt, but foolhardy and frightening.

Trump's comeback would not be possible if a majority of prominent Republicans had denounced him--and preferably impeached him after his attempted coup.

Clearly, Trump's behavior would not have been tolerated by many people in Australia or by many people in other affluent constitutional democracies. (Even Brazil has moved faster to prosecute Bolsonaro for spreading false information about the Brazilian election system.)

The character of the American people who vote for Trump must also be in question by the people in many constitutional democracies around the world.

If the U.S. reelects Trump, America will no longer be considered a beacon for freedom and democracy, nor the leader (or even a leader) of "the free world."

We as a nation will be in freefall, moving rapidly towards autocracy and neofascism.

And the world outside the U.S. will know it, years before it finally dawns on many Americans that by voting for Trump, they helped to destroy our democratic republic.

______________ *This quote was divided into paragraphs to increase readability.

[alumirp]

Brazilians and the lack of peace

Hi guys, I've been trying to keep this blog clean of things other than plot/prompt ideas but. I'm Brazilian and maybe you've followed me here through Twitter, you probably already know, but Twitter is going to be banned in Brazil, because Elon Musk refuses to comply with very simple requests from our justice system, breaking several laws in our country and being extremely disrespectful overall.

Therefore, it was decided that the app will no longer operate in Brasil, which is annoying, but a necessary decision that I personally think is very correct. Just because you're a billionaire doesn't mean the laws of an entire country should bow to your grace, bitch. And since Twitter will no longer work in my country, Brazilian users are migrating in large numbers to Instagram, Telegram and especially to BlueSky. I personally chose BlueSky and I came here to ask you, if you also have one, consider following me :D

Anyways, fuck you Elon Musk, you are nothing but a spoiled brat with too much power, stay OUT of my country, we are not your subordinates and employees so you can decide the future of our entire country as if it were one of your companies, which you also happen to destroy. With that said, shove your ridiculous porn named site deep up your ass.

love ya bye :D

[malichev]

Attention: This publication has sensitive topics, talking a little about the current situation of CC Forever and my position in relation to future posts. If you don't feel comfortable, please skip it.

------------------------------ I confess that, because I wasn't on Twitter VERY much, I wasn't up to date, but I started seeing posts here and decided that I needed to update myself a little on the situation. Apparently, tweets were unearthed, with comments and interactions'' from Forever with a minor, for those who don't know, in Brazil, under 18 you are a minor. At the time he must have been 19 or 20 years old. Despite understanding that people change over the years, technically, he committed a serious crime for which, it appears he never received a type of punishment, it appears that it was kept in the closet'' and has now been unearthed. So, it's a delicate topic, so I understand those who no longer want updates on it. Now, for those who were waiting for a statement, he opened a live to talk about the subject, but people were disappointed, especially the way he dealt with the topic, he said that they distorted his tweets, so he deleted them (in fact more than 900 tweets disappeared), and then said that he will sue the people who made a thread on Twitter with his posts. Honestly, I decided to go after these supposed tweets, and to be honest, the things I read were a bit…bizarre? I understand why people are not comfortable, I don't know how the case will go, but apparently the ´´victim´´ exists, he made strange tweets and she was indeed a minor. So I think Forever saying they distorted his tweets wasn´t the best argument. Overall, I didn't find it a really satisfactory statement. And honestly, some of their fanatics, because it's not a fan thing, it's a fanatic thing, are making the situation worse by trying to erase the problem, wanting to use other CCs' mistakes to defend Forever, they just forget that if the other CCs have already recanted, or even ``paid for their mistakes''. They are not going to save Forever by using other people as a shield, especially since the Forever case happened years ago, BUT it has now been discovered even by the Brazilians themselves, and it is something that is STILL open, there has not been any kind of resolution and, the worst part, is that it can still be considered a serious crime depending on the justice system, because apparently there will be a legal fight.He said he hired lawyers.

What will this result in and how will it affect his presence in the QSMP?

Let's find out, I just ask that you be patient with Quackity, the team and even the others CC´s, many of them probably don't know anything because they are on vacation, and even if they don't want to get involved that's their right since, because currently, they are not actually involved in the problem. I honestly don't even know how the information will reach them, especially those who were closest to Forever. I believe that, just as the community is in shock, not wanting to believe, whoever is his closest friend will also be in denial. In conclusion: Because I was also uncomfortable, I'm going to avoid talking about qForever and Forever as much as possible in future posts, unless there's no way out, after all, the sad thing is that he made a memorable character in Lore, and it seemed like he was going to have more about him. Now I don't know what happens. Anyway, I hope you take care of yourselves, don't stress, and if you want to take some time off social media, I recommend it.

[blueteehood]

Ok. So. Muskrat (aka Elon Musk) decided it was a normal and reasonable idea to pick a fight with one of the Brazilian Supreme Court’s Ministers. Allow me to explain it.

Context is essential here. Alexandre de Moraes* is the minister responsible for 2 ongoing extremely high profile cases against Brazilian democracy: the domestic terrorist attack in Brasilia in January 8th (yes, our own version of January 6th) and another one that investigates digital militias that are being accused of spread misinformation, hate speech and trying to diminish the legitimacy of our electoral process**.

During the course of those investigations (that have been going on for a few years) de Moraes has determined the suspension of social media accounts of some of the people being investigated. Among that, people who have claimed that ‘maybe nazism was fine, actually’ and a lot of other shit. And because of that, Muskarat is accusing the minister (and by extension, our Supreme Court) of censorship and attempting against Brazilian democracy. Because obviously he knows more about Brazilian Law than us mere Brazilians. 

Well, can de Moraes do that? Yes. Yes he can. Free speech is a constitutional right (art. 5º, IV) (unless you hide behind anonymity), but you know what else is determined by our constitution? That ANY attack to our fundamental rights or freedom is to be punished by law (art. 5º XLI) AND racism is a non-bailable and imprescriptible crime (art. 5º XLII). So no, YOU CANNOT say racist shit or things that go against Brazilian democracy, because the right to free speech is not an absolute right, there are plenty of exceptions to it (in the same article where it’s established, even). 

I guess it's kind of obvious, but let me make it clear: Elon Musk, famous for saying things that would be considered a CRIME according to Brazilian Law, is accusing our Supreme Court of “censoring” people that are being investigate exactly for using social media to commit crimes. 

I could go on a wild tangent here about how our Constitution is, notably and  historically, a product of our civil rights movement post 40 years of dictatorship, or how Brazilian Justice System is based on Civil Law while the American System is Common Law and there are fundamental differences on how they both work, or or I could go on a whole spiel about the social and political and ethical implications of some guy deciding he could wildly and publicly speculate about the works of a democratic country as if we didn’t have, you know, SOVEREIGNTY, but you know what? Fuck him. Brazil is not your goddamn back yard, Muskarat. We can take care of our own problems, fuck you very much. 

* There is a lot of shit going on in our Supreme Court, and I’m not here to defend Alexandre de Moraes from criticism.  Just, ya know, stating the obvious.

** Brazilians are very proud of the safety and speed of our electoral process

[mariacallous]

This week’s BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, features a new participant: Turkey. A Kremlin official leaked last month that Ankara had applied to join the grouping, following repeated expressions of interest over the years. A spokesperson for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) then conceded that “a process is underway.”

The BRICS grouping undertook a major expansion recently, adding Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates in January, with Saudia Arabia still mulling whether to join. The acronym stands for the group’s original members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Still, Turkey’s BRICS application is a watershed moment in geopolitics. If Turkey joins BRICS as a full member or partner state, it would become the first NATO member and longtime candidate for European Union membership to have an active role in an entity seen by some analysts as a challenger to Western predominance.

Turkey’s diplomatic demarche is yet another sign that the global south is rising in world affairs, and it underscores the growth of active nonalignment as an ideology. But it is not a major break in Turkish foreign policy: Ankara’s BRICS application is an extension of its international balancing act, which aims to diversify alliances while maintaining ties with the West.

During two decades in office, Erdogan has promoted a non-Western-centric vision of the world and sought greater global autonomy due to frustration with the EU and the United States. For its part, BRICS is on a roll in terms of both membership and growing global clout. In addition to Turkey, countries such as Malaysia and Thailand have also applied for entry and sent envoys to this year’s summit.

Cooperation among BRICS members in energy, trade, and infrastructure development is growing at a fast clip. As a share of global trade, intra-BRICS trade in goods more than doubled from 2002 to 2022, reaching 40 percent. In 2015, the group created the Shanghai-based New Development Bank with $50 billion in capital. The bank, headed by former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, has since lent $33 billion for 96 projects.

BRICS now aims to create an alternative payment system to SWIFT, which it perceives as a Western-dominated international banking system. The project has taken on greater importance after Western countries disconnected Russia from SWIFT following the country’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

BRICS would benefit from Turkey’s accession. From a geopolitical standpoint, Turkey’s membership would enhance the group’s stature as a proponent of nonalignment, as opposed to a bloc with an anti-Western agenda—though it would certainly increase Western suspicions about Turkey. At present, the group is torn. China and Russia would like to build it into an anti-Western entity, while Brazil, India, and South Africa would prefer it to take a stance closer to nonalignment. Turkey’s presence is likely to strengthen the second view. The same goes for most of the new members, except for Iran, which is likely to hew close to China and Russia.

Joining BRICS would also put Turkey, a NATO member, in a privileged position: Having a foot in both camps increases Ankara’s foreign-policy leverage. “Being involved in these structures does not mean abandoning NATO,” Erdogan told journalists at the United Nations General Assembly in September. “We do not think that this alliance and cooperation are an alternative to one another.”

Despite Erdogan’s high profile in global affairs, Turkey’s domestic agenda has become increasingly challenging for the president. In March, the AKP lost ground in municipal elections, while economic growth has slowed and inflation runs rampant. But domestic constraints have not limited Turkey’s quest for influence across Eurasia; if anything, these international endeavors offer a welcome distraction.

Erdogan’s foreign policy is built on a complex blend of Turkey’s Ottoman legacy, nationalist aspirations, and a sense that the West’s best days are behind it. He seeks a more multipolar world, where Turkey can act independently of Western hegemony and search for strategic options beyond the West, even if this means partnering with historical enemies, such as Russia, or with countries that have pursued draconian policies against Muslim minorities, such as China.

Erdogan has sought to expand Turkey’s strategic wiggle room through diplomacy. He has signed energy deals with Russia, allowing the Russian state-owned utility Rosatom to build, own, and operate Turkey’s first nuclear power plant; mediated in armed conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war; and rallied support against Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

Turkey’s BRICS application is no different. It is not about breaking ties with the West but rather recalibrating them in favor of broader and more diversified alliances that are important to Turkey’s long-term national interests—particularly as Ankara’s prospects for EU membership grow dim and strategic ties with the United States weaken.

Turkey’s decades-long bid for EU membership has been marked by frustration. As Ankara has pushed for accession, EU responses have been lukewarm at best, especially after French and German opposition in the late 2000s. With a population of 87 million people, Turkey would be the largest country in the EU and the only Muslim-majority member. Democratic backsliding after the 2013 Gezi Park protests and the 2016 coup attempt have not helped its case. Today, while Turkey remains a candidate officially, its EU accession talks have stalled.

EU ambivalence over Turkish membership stems from concerns over Turkey’s human rights record and growing authoritarianism under Erdogan’s leadership. There are also disputes over Cyprus and maritime rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. The 2023 European Commission report on Turkey further strained relations; the report condemned Ankara’s democratic erosion and suggested that it is nowhere close to reaching full membership.

Turkey’s links with the United States have not fared any better. A major point of contention was Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, which led to its removal from the F-35 fighter jet program. In response, Turkey opted for F-16s, taking advantage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine to upgrade its defense industry. The conflict also increased Turkey’s leverage over NATO, particularly as it stonewalled Sweden’s bid for membership.

Amid the war in Gaza, Erdogan’s alignment with the Palestinian cause and vocal criticism of Western support for Israel have deepened rifts between Ankara and Washington. In the past, the Turkish president also blamed the Obama administration for its support for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces during the Syrian civil war, an issue that has lingered.

All the same, Turkey has proved that it is still indispensable to the West: It has acted as a key mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war, underscoring its delicate balancing act between NATO commitments and partnership with Moscow. In this role, Turkey has achieved impressive results—such as facilitating the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War.

For Erdogan, these developments have confirmed Turkey’s need to pursue a form of nonalignment and to shift its focus toward the global south and non-Western entities. Turkey’s pivot has led it to engagements across the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, where Ankara has expanded its networks and business. In this context, BRICS offers Turkey a unique opportunity to join a rising bloc that represents a significant portion of the global south as well as Russia and China—key actors in Eurasia.

In a world marked by great-power rivalry and competing grand narratives, Turkey stands to regain its role as a bridge between the West, global south, and Eurasian powers. The country’s unique position draws on its geographical location and imperial history. By applying to join the BRICS—an informal yet high-profile group—Turkey is signaling to the West that it should not be taken for granted.

[majormeilani]

i got emailed a reddit thread about ml and its season 5 ending but like huh????? i definitely want a source for this but that's interesting IF they actually were considering having him be arrested. but also ? i don't really understand the broadcaster's decision to remove the idea of him being arrested just because of the rate of false imprisonments happen in brazil. false imprisonments and police corruption are a huge problem in the US too. i know the execution of the concept if we were to take it seriously of gabriel getting arrested would definitely be hard to prove in a trial were that to happen, but like. the thing is, they don't give you a trial before arresting you??? they might integrate you if they suspect you but most the time with probable cause, they arrest you, investigate further while you are in jail and you await your trial and work out your own case of proving your innocence. so no matter what, when you're being tried for a crime, you end up in jail? even if you are innocent or guilty. i mean, brazilian jails+prisons and its justice system might function or work differently sure but for the most part that's how it works.

and another thing is i don't understand why children seeing gabriel, who they KNOW is a bad guy, would be upset or triggered by gabriel being arrested???? huh??? like yeah gabriel is adrien's dad and maybe they might get reminded of their own, which is a sad thought. but also i think they would see it more as a justice served type deal. i can kinda understand where they're coming from a bit but. i kinda doubt their concerns are that founded i guess.

to me though, this still doesn't justify them writing marinette to not tell adrien and everyone else the truth about hawkmoth though 😭😭 like, i was okay with the idea of gabriel getting what he wanted with his wish or whatever but i just don't understand the choice of having our protagonist abstain adrien from the truth and also having paris regard gabriel in a positive light. esp because even if marinette was afraid of deeply upsetting him, she knows hawkmoth as they know him is gone so the risk of him getting akumatized is most likely non-existent.

i still kinda wish this reddit person provided a source.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Tom Phillips at The Guardian:

The former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and some of his closest allies are among dozens of people formally accused by federal police of being part of a criminal conspiracy designed to obliterate Brazil’s democratic system through a rightwing coup d’état. Federal police confirmed on Thursday that investigators had concluded their long-running investigation into what they called a coordinated attempt to “violently dismantle the constitutional state”. In a statement, police said the report – which has been forwarded to the supreme court – formally accused a total of 37 people of crimes including involvement in an attempted coup, the formation of a criminal organization, and trying to tear down one of the world’s largest democracies. The accused include Bolsonaro, a disgraced army captain turned populist politician, who was president from 2018 until the end of 2022, as well as some of the most important members of his far-right administration.

They included Bolsonaro’s former spy chief, the far-right congressman Alexandre Ramagem; the former defense ministers Gen Walter Braga Netto and Gen Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira; the former minister of justice and public security Anderson Torres; the former minister of institutional security Gen Augusto Heleno; the former navy commander Adm Almir Garnier Santos; the president of Bolsonaro’s political party, Valdemar Costa Neto; and Filipe Martins, one of Bolsonaro’s top foreign policy advisers. Also named is the rightwing blogger grandson of Gen João Baptista Figueiredo, one of the military rulers who governed Brazil during its 1964-85 dictatorship. The list contains one non-Brazilian name: that of Fernando Cerimedo, an Argentinian digital marketing guru who was in charge of communications for Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, during that country’s 2023 presidential campaign. Buenos Aires-based Cerimedo is close to Bolsonaro and his politician sons.

[...] Bolsonaro has previously denied involvement in an attempt to overturn the result of the 2022 election, which he lost to Lula. Speaking to a journalist from the Brazilian news site Metrópoles after he was named in the police report, the former president said he needed to see what was in the investigation. “I’m going to wait for the lawyer,” Bolsonaro added. Braga Netto, Heleno and other prominent names on the list made no immediate comment about the accusations in the federal police report, which the police statement said was based on a large trove of evidence gathered through plea deals, searches and the analysis of financial, internet and phone records. But prominent pro-Bolsonaro politicians criticized the report, with Rogério Marinho, the leader of the opposition in the senate, attributing it to the “incessant persecution” targeting Brazil’s right. “The more they persecute Bolsonaro, the stronger he gets,” tweeted Sóstenes Cavalcante, a Bolsonarista congressman from Rio. The alleged pro-Bolsonaro coup attempt allegedly played out during the turbulent final days of his four-year administration, which came to an end when he was narrowly defeated by Lula in the second round of the 2022 presidential election.

This is how to properly deal with fascists who try to pull coups.

[thesunsethour]

important to note that last night's riots in dublin were not solely xenophobic, they were also explicitly racist. once the news came out that it was a brazilian immigrant who helped to save that little girl in Parnell Sq there were still hundreds of bigots online and in person saying that "it's not that type of immigrant we're protesting against". they of course mean a white immigrant.

my mother was not born in ireland. i am the daughter of an immigrant. but because i am white, because i have an irish surname, i'm not that type. these rioters don't care about the women and children of ireland they claim to be protecting. they don't care about the wording of immigration legislation. they are racists, they are bigots.

words fail me. the vicious hatred last night was as a result of years of our justice system allowing far-right, bigots to get away scot free.

the city is still reeling. i hope people are going to stay safe this weekend

[irunevenus]

Voodoo: The Deep and Complex Spirituality of West Africa

Voodoo is a spiritual practice deeply rooted in African culture, especially in the West African regions of Benin, Togo, and Ghana. Although often misunderstood and stigmatized by popular representations in Western media, Voodoo is a rich and multifaceted tradition that offers unique insights into the connection between the human and the divine, life and death, the seen and the unseen.

The Origins of Voodoo

Voodoo has its roots in the religious traditions of the Fon and Ewe people of Benin and Togo. However, its practices and beliefs are as old as the civilizations that flourished in these regions. The word “Voodoo” comes from the Fon word “vodun,” which means “spirit” or “divine force.” For Voodoo practitioners, the world is filled with spirits that inhabit nature, ancestors, and everyday objects.

These spirits, or “loas,” play essential roles in the lives of devotees. Each loa has its own characteristics, preferences, and powers, and can be invoked to help in specific areas of human life, such as health, love, protection, and prosperity. The loas are not gods in the traditional sense, but rather intermediaries between humans and the supreme Creator, known as Mawu or Nana Buluku, depending on the region.

Voodoo and the African Diaspora

The transatlantic slave trade played a crucial role in the spread of Vodou to the New World. Enslaved Africans took their beliefs and practices to the Caribbean, Latin America, and parts of the United States, where Vodou evolved into different forms, such as Haitian Vodou, Brazilian Candomblé, and Cuban Santería.

In Haiti, Vodou developed into a unique spiritual system, combining elements of African Vodou with the Catholicism imposed by French colonizers. This fusion of beliefs created a syncretic religion that played a crucial role in Haitian history, including the Haitian Revolution, where rebel leaders turned to the lwa for guidance and strength.

The Structure and Practice of Vodou

At the heart of Vodou is the belief in the interdependence between the visible world (the world of the living) and the invisible world (the world of spirits and ancestors). Vodou rituals are performed to maintain balance between these two worlds, ensure the health, prosperity, and protection of devotees, and appease the lwa.

These rituals are led by priests and priestesses known as houngans and mambos. They are responsible for interpreting the will of the lwa, conducting ceremonies, and offering sacrifices, which may include food, drink, and in some cases, animal sacrifices. During the rituals, devotees may enter a trance, allowing a lwa to take possession of their body and communicate directly with those present.

Vodou is also deeply communal. Ceremonies are not only religious events, but also moments of social bonding, where music, dance and singing play a central role. Through these expressions, practitioners reinforce their connections with the loas and with each other, creating a sense of belonging and collective identity.

Myths and Realities

The practice of Voodoo has been the subject of much misinformation and prejudice, especially in the West. Films and popular literature often portray Voodoo in a sensationalist manner, associating it with evil practices such as creating zombies or using Voodoo dolls to harm others. These depictions are not only inaccurate, but also disrespectful of the deep spiritual traditions that Voodoo represents.

In reality, Voodoo is a religion of balance and harmony, where the well-being of the community and the preservation of the natural order are paramount. While there are aspects of justice and retribution in Voodoo, these are only part of the broader spectrum of practices intended to promote life, healing and spiritual connection.

Voodoo Today

Today, Voodoo continues to be a living and vibrant practice, both in West Africa and in communities throughout the African diaspora. In Benin, Voodoo is recognized as an official religion, and celebrations such as National Voodoo Day on January 10 draw thousands of devotees and tourists. In Haiti, despite social and political challenges, Voodoo remains a central force in the country’s national and cultural identity.

In addition, there is growing global interest in Voodoo, especially among those seeking forms of spirituality that offer a more direct and personal connection to the divine. For many, Voodoo offers an alternative to traditional religions, emphasizing community, ancestry, and a connection to nature.

Conclusion Voodoo is much more than popular caricatures make it out to be. It is a rich and complex expression of spirituality that transcends cultural and geographic boundaries, connecting millions of people around the world.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazilian government gets Starlink and X frozen money

The Supreme Court ordered that over BRL 18 million (USD 3.2 million) in frozen accounts held by the social media platform X and Starlink, a satellite internet provider, be wired to the federal government. Both companies are controlled by billionaire Elon Musk — who is at war with Brazil’s Supreme Court and content moderation rules. 

Late in August, Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees several investigations into online disinformation networks, banned X from Brazil due to the company’s reluctance to comply with a requirement to have a local representative. 

Prior to the ban, Justice Moraes had frozen Starlink bank accounts to ensure the payment of fines levied against X — following the company’s decision to shut down its Brazil office. The fines were issued due to X’s attempts to dodge rulings to strike down posts and accounts flooding public discourse with conspiracy theories (notably about the fairness of the country’s voting system). 

The justice based his decision on the notion that the two Musk-owned companies act as a de facto economic group.

Continue reading.

[newstfionline]

Friday, October 18, 2024

Big Tech Goes Nuclear (1440) Amazon is investing $500M toward nuclear power to meet the rising energy demands of its data centers and artificial intelligence initiatives. Yesterday’s announcement comes two days after Google unveiled plans to purchase nuclear power and less than a month after Microsoft said it would reopen the Three Mile Island plant—home to the worst nuclear accident in US history—to fuel its AI efforts. Nuclear power accounts for 19% of US electricity generation and comes from energy released when the nucleus of a heavy atom splits into lighter atoms. While expensive and potentially hazardous, proponents pitch nuclear power as a clean alternative to greenhouse gas-emitting energy sources like coal, oil, and gas. Energy-intensive generative AI applications and data centers are expected to account for roughly 9% of total US power consumption by 2030.

Many schools are still closed weeks after Hurricane Helene. Teachers worry about long-term impact (AP) Tens of thousands of students in the Southeast are dealing with school disruptions after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc so severe—on homes, campuses and municipal power and water systems—that some districts have no idea when they will reopen. While virtual learning helped during the COVID-19 school closures, that has not been an option for this crisis because internet and cellphone service has remained spotty since the storm struck in late September. In hard-hit western North Carolina, some districts warn students will miss up to a month of school, and others say they can’t yet determine a timeline for returning to classrooms. “I feel like a month is a lot, but it’s not something that can’t be overcome,” said Marissa Coleman, who has sent her four children to stay with grandparents in Texas because their home in North Carolina’s Buncombe County has no running water. “But if we get further into Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s like, how are they actually going to make this up?”

Anguilla has turned the AI boom into a digital gold mine (AP) The artificial intelligence boom has benefited chatbot makers, computer scientists and Nvidia investors. It’s also providing an unusual windfall for Anguilla, a tiny island in the Caribbean. The British territory was allotted control of the .ai internet address in the 1990s. It was one of hundreds of obscure top-level domains assigned to individual countries and territories based on their names. While the domains are supposed to indicate a website has a link to a particular region or language, it’s not always a requirement. Google uses google.ai to showcase its artificial intelligence services while Elon Musk uses x.ai as the homepage for his Grok AI chatbot. Startups like AI search engine Perplexity have also snapped up .ai web addresses. Anguilla’s earnings from web domain registration fees quadrupled last year to $32 million, fueled by the surging interest in AI. The income now accounts for about 20% of Anguilla’s total government revenue.

Is Brazil’s Supreme Court Saving Democracy or Threatening It? (NYT) Daniel Silveira, a policeman turned far-right Brazilian congressman, was furious. He believed Brazil’s Supreme Court was persecuting conservatives and silencing them on social media, and he wanted to do something about it. So he sat on his couch and began recording. “How many times have I imagined you getting beat up on the street,” he said in a 19-minute diatribe against the court’s justices. He posted the video on YouTube in February 2021, adding, “I’ll say what I want on here.” A Brazilian Supreme Court justice immediately ordered his arrest. A year later, 10 of the court’s 11 justices convicted and sentenced him to nearly nine years in prison for threatening them. Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s president at the time, pardoned Mr. Silveira, but the Supreme Court overruled him. Today, Mr. Silveira remains in prison. There is no room for appeal past the Supreme Court. Mr. Silveira’s case is part of a creeping institutional crisis for Brazil. For the past five years, the nation’s Supreme Court has expanded its power to carry out a sweeping campaign to protect Brazilian institutions from attacks, many of them online. To the Brazilian left, the offensive has helped rescue Brazil’s democracy. To the right, it has made the court a threat to democracy itself.

France's Macron calls for an end to arms exports used in Gaza and Lebanon (Reuters) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron are getting into a mud-slinging fight for all the world to see. Last week, Macron called for an arms embargo on Israel, saying that the country needed to find a political solution to its issues in Gaza and Lebanon. Netanyahu responded with an angry video posted on X, calling Macron (and others calling for an arms embargo on Israel) a “disgrace.” On Tuesday (this week), Macron reportedly made statements during a closed-door meeting with French ministers, saying that Netanyahu should not “ignore United Nations decisions” because “his country was created by a U.N. decision.” Israel has repeatedly called for the dismantling of UNRWA, the UN agency that provides aid for Palestinian refugees, and is looking to pass legislation barring the organization from operating in Israeli territory—a decision the UNRWA warns will essentially “disintegrate” its services in Gaza and the West Bank. Israeli soldiers have also targeted U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon on multiple occasions since the IDF’s ground invasion of the country began earlier this month. Netanyahu clapped back at Macron soon after his statements, saying, “It was not the U.N. resolution that established the State of Israel, but rather the victory achieved in the War of Independence with the blood of heroic fighters, many of whom were Holocaust survivors—including from the Vichy regime in France.”

Zelenskyy outlines his ‘victory plan’ to Ukraine’s lawmakers (Politico) Yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unveiled his grand “victory plan” to Ukraine’s parliament. It’s made up of five main points and three secret annexes—we’re not privy to the annexes, but here are the five main points: an invitation to join NATO, a larger and faster supply of Western weapons with no restrictions on their use, a non-nuclear strategic deterrence package, deals which would trade Ukraine’s energy resources for money up front, and the possibility of U.S. forces training with battle-hardened Ukrainian forces after the war. Kyiv’s Western allies have not met the plan with the enthusiasm Ukraine might have been expecting. Meanwhile, Russia is getting a new infusion of troops. According to a senior Ukrainian military intelligence official, Russia has gathered over 3,000 North Koreans to fight in Ukraine. Russia disputes this and it’s unconfirmed.

Monsoon flooding closes schools and offices in India’s southern IT hubs (AP) Schools, colleges and government offices were shut Wednesday in parts of southern India as heavy monsoon rains triggered severe flooding. The worst-hit cities included Chennai and Bengaluru, the country’s industrial and information technology hubs. Power cuts and flight cancellations caused disruption, and thousands of residents prepared for more downpours over the next 48 hours. The June-September monsoon season has receded in northern parts of the country. However, the northeast monsoon has brought heavy rains to coastal Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and southern Karnataka state. At least 33 people died last month in rains and floods.

For Working Women in India, Staying Safe Can Feel Like a Full-Time Job (WSJ) When Ajita Topo, a cook in an affluent neighborhood in Delhi, leaves work in the evening, she holds her bag like a shield against her chest, keeps her fists clenched and carries a black umbrella with a very sharp end to ward off a possible attack. She makes sure to wear lots of layers—no matter how hot it is—to deter someone from trying to grope her chest, and secures her bun with a sharp metal stick as an additional weapon. Topo isn’t being paranoid. Last year, she was followed by two men when she left work after 10 p.m. She managed to scare them away by shouting as she passed homes with guards outside. “Workplace, public transport, public places, we feel safe nowhere,” said Topo, the sole breadwinner for her two children. “The only solution is to stay alert at all times.” For many women in India, taking steps to ward off a violent attack—and reassuring their families they are safe while at work and on their commutes—is an invisible form of labor that is a central element of their work life. The killing and rape of a trainee doctor in the city of Kolkata in August was a fresh reminder for Indian women who work of the dangers lurking in public spaces where women are far less visible than men.

Where a Million Desperate People Are Finding Shelter in Lebanon (NYT) At dusk, the parking lot of Tripoli’s Quality Inn is packed with cars and families milling about. Children’s shouts fill the air, reminding some of better times, when the hotel hosted weddings and birthdays parties. Now, though, the cars in the lot are dusty and battered, the families sit on patches of grass, their faces worn with worry, and the children play in a drained swimming pool. That is because the Quality Inn has been transformed into one of the biggest shelters in Tripoli for displaced Lebanese fleeing Israeli bombing in the country’s south. In Lebanon, the displaced are practically everywhere. In Beirut, the capital, where many are staying, they have set up makeshift tents on the corniche by the sea, crafting shelters out of stray metal poles, bits of awnings and blankets. In the city’s parks and squares, some families have placed floor coverings on the ground, anchoring them with cases of water and folded blankets. Others are taking shelter anywhere that they can, mostly in schools but also in unfinished buildings. Of a population of around six million, including about two million Syrian refugees, just over one million people have been forced from their homes by the bombings, the United Nations and the Lebanese authorities say.

IDF says it killed top Hamas leader (Politico) The Israel Defense Force confirmed it has killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the lead architect of the Oct. 7 attack and the No. 1 target of its yearlong campaign in Gaza. Details of Sinwar’s death remain sketchy, but he appears to have been killed in an operation in southern Gaza that was not specifically targeting him. It is unclear what effect, if any, Sinwar’s death will have on the future of Israel’s campaign in Gaza, let alone on the newly emerging front against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israeli attacks on aid convoys in Gaza persist, U.N. says (Washington Post) Israeli troops have opened fire on U.N. aid convoys to northern Gaza at least four times in three months, according to U.N. and other humanitarian officials, damaging the vehicles and narrowly missing staff members inside. On Sept. 9, the officials said, the Israeli army held a convoy involved in the United Nations’ polio response at gunpoint for 7½ hours, claiming that several people in the vehicles were wanted men. They were questioned and eventually allowed to proceed. “They basically surrounded our vehicles, pointing assault rifles at our cars, and they were shouting that we’re terrorists,” said one U.N. staffer. U.N. officials describe the Sept. 9 incident as emblematic of an environment of mistrust, in which Israeli soldiers, many of them reservists, command significant power at the checkpoints that humanitarian workers must cross to enter northern Gaza and face few consequences for their actions.

Why Big Pharma refuses to take on the threat of antibiotic-resistant germs (Die Zeit/Germany) Some 40 million people will die from antibiotic-resistant germs in the next 25 years, according to the latest estimate. All reasonable experts agree: New medicines must be developed urgently, otherwise we will face the threat of living in a post-antibiotic era, an era in which people die from simple infections because doctors can no longer treat them. Yet although the problem and solutions are obvious, there are very few new antibiotics in the research pipelines of the big pharmaceutical companies. More and more companies are even closing down their antibiotics divisions. The reason? Antibiotics are not profitable. Poor countries are not lucrative sales markets. Companies would rather focus on another cancer drug that marginally improves the prognosis for lung cancer; another cholesterol-lowering drug that is slightly more effective than its predecessor and is so inexpensive to develop that it brings in billions without any major risks; or yet another anticoagulant. And so billions of dollars in development costs are spent on drugs that have little impact on people’s health, while virtually nothing is spent on developing drugs that could save millions of lives.

[silver-rings-and-rabbits]

Open Heart 2 - Chapter 16

Sparks

A/N: Please note I am not a mental health professional. The techniques referred to in the chapter are based on my own experience with extreme anxiety and therapy. If you are struggling with your mental health, please speak to a mental health professional. On a lighter note, users @sazanes and @lorirwritesfanfic helped me with the Brazilian Christmas celebrations. Thank you both so much, I hope I did the scene justice.

The next day after movie night, Matthew quietly spoke to Ethan about being assigned a therapist. He met with Vanessa Hayes, who read Matthew’s medical report from the attack and listened to his own account. Matthew sat opposite her, on the edge of his chair, his hands clasped into fists as he recounted his fight for life and how much harder it had been to return to diagnostic patients than he thought.

“I wasn’t actively avoiding them, but it was like…something in my brain was telling me to look for something else to. I suppose I rationalised it like there were three other doctors on the diagnostics team who could handle the patient – even if it was my patient – and meanwhile someone somewhere in the hospital might need more help.”

“Trauma in the ER, for example?”

“Sure, or making sure my intern could handle her patient, or if someone was calling for help. The day I had my panic attack, I kept looking for patients who weren’t in the attack room so I wouldn’t have to go in, but then a nurse caught me and I had to authorise the next phase of the patient’s treatment.”

“No one was with you?”

“No…they were dealing with other patients.”

Vanessa made a note.

“It’s very common for a traumatized person to re-experience trauma when there is a benign stimulus connected to the event. In your case, the stimulus was the room of the attack, and I imagine this wasn’t helped by the fact it was your first time back in the room and you didn’t have anyone supporting you.”

“Dr Delarosa told me I wasn’t sick, it was my anxiety,” Matthew remembered. “So I guess that would be me comparing the physical symptoms of anxiety with the symptoms of the toxin and that all added to the stimulus.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

They discussed anxiety attacks from a general perspective – Matthew knew it rooted from the fight or flight survival instinct and Vanessa reminded him that the more he understood their nature, the more he could control his response.

“Sometimes it helps me to take a deep breath,” Vanessa said. “Because if I have time to stop and breathe, I’m not in immediate danger, and if I can stop and breathe, I start calming down. What I also suggest is, if you can, take a few minutes to put all your focus onto something completely different…like drinking a cup of coffee. Focus on the taste and smell. Step out of your brain before it leads to panic. If you can't focus on one thing, look for five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste."

Vanessa also advised him to take things slowly when it came to his diagnostic patients: he could brainstorm in the office with his colleagues without necessarily being in the patient room. Then he could enter the room for short periods of time, accompanied by his colleagues, staying for longer and longer periods as his confidence built up again. He had a strong support system; he should lean on it as much as possible.

Conversation then moved on to Rafael. Matthew was thrilled to have him back in his life, but was still scared of losing him. The fact that Rafael was also in therapy was slightly comforting: Matthew trusted that he was addressing his saviour complex and believed him when he said he didn’t want to risk in his life anymore. He was glad the issue was being tackled, he just wished it hadn’t come at such a huge cost.

Meanwhile, Edenbrook was preparing for Christmas. Coloured lights were hung in the front windows and an impressive Christmas tree was set up in the atrium, glittering with red and gold baubles. The nurses stations had coloured tinsel taped around the edge of their desk, and the peds ward was covered in decorations handmade by their young patients.

On Christmas Eve, Matthew rushed up to the diagnostics office where he had left his pager on the table and was surprised to find Baz in a Santa suit, adjusting a long white beard.

“Baz?”

“Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, young man!” Baz boomed in a jolly voice, before switching to his ordinary voice. “Just about to do my yearly rounds on the peds ward. The kids don’t like spending Christmas in hospital, but a visit from jolly old Santa cheers them right up!”

“Adorable,” Matthew grinned. “First time I heard about that I assumed ‘Dr Mirani’ meant Zaid. Wait, what if someone sees him and recognises you in him?”

“First, how often do you think Zaid goes on the peds ward?” Baz said, when he was done laughing at the idea of Zaid dressed as Santa. “Second, it’s not that deep. Kids young enough to believe in Santa don’t look much further than the beard and red coat, and kids too old to believe in Santa would rather keep the dream alive.” He put on his hat and sauntered off down the hall.

Matthew visited the peds floor later, accompanied by Sienna, and Baz was right; a visit from Santa had revitalised the kids, who chatted eagerly about what they liked about the holidays and what they had asked for for Christmas. According to one of the nurses, the hospital had bought a small colouring book and teddy for each child to receive from ‘Santa’ overnight.

Matthew finished his shift mid-afternoon and called a taxi straight over to the airport where he met Holly, who practically bowled him over in a big hug.

“You look so well!” she said in delight, noticing how the colour had returned to his face, he was more fleshed out and his eyes less tired.

“I’m so glad you made it!”

They chatted a little about work and Holly’s plans for her five-day stay in Boston during the cab ride home. She was going to explore the city when Matthew was back at work, and she was going to visit Salem, but before that was the Christmas celebration at Juliana’s that night.

“And how are things with you and Rafael?”

“Really good,” Matthew said, with an automatic smile. “I mean it. When he’s around…it’s like everything is better.”

It was very difficult to doubt him when she had never seen him smiling like that before.

Later that night, they stepped off the T and walked through the neighbourhood to Juliana’s house, carrying overnight bags, flowers and wine. Juliana had insisted they didn’t need to worry about Christmas presents, but Holly had wanted to bring something, even if Matthew said it made them look like they were on a first date.

“If in doubt, flowers and wine.”

“What if someone has allergies?”

“Then the flowers can stay outside. What are Brazilian holidays like, anyway?” Holly asked. She was wearing a red wrap-around blouse and smart black trousers. Matthew had donned a sweater with a Christmas pudding on it.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “But Raf said it would be loud, with a lot of music, food and drink.”

Music and food was instantly confirmed when Natalia opened the door with a wide smile and they were blasted with loud music and delicious smells. Red and green tinsel adorned the walls and poinsettia plants were placed on the windowsills. Christmas cards were hung up everywhere, and the kitchen was full of plates of food and bottles of drink. Holly was greeted like an old friend by Natalia and Pablo, and then Juliana herself swooped over and told her how deeply honoured she was to meet her at last. Holly was surprised, pleased and more than a little touched. Matthew chuckled to himself and was about to look for Rafael when his arms wrapped around him from behind.

“Glad you made it,” Raf said. “Can I get you a drink?”

Beers in hand, Matthew and Holly were introduced to the ample family members: Juliana’s eldest son, Abe, and his wife Madeleine. They had three kids, older than Matthew, and several grandkids who were upstairs, trying to get some sleep before the feast. Juliana’s eldest daughter, Patricia, and her wife, Stacey. They had a small group of foster kids also upstairs. The next daughter was Marcia who was a divorcée and had four kids; one of whom was pregnant, and another had a toddler. Of course, Matthew had met Rafael’s parents, and then there was the widow of Samuel, Juliana’s youngest son who had taught Rafael to fly a helicopter before an unexpected heart attack. They had had two kids and so far one grandchild. Matthew had so many hugs and handshakes he felt a little dazed.

It was amazing how many people could fit into Juliana’s three bedroom home. Furniture had been rearranged so a large table groaning with food sat in the middle of the kitchen. A finely cooked turkey was in the middle of the table, red berries offering a splash of decoration. There was also a large ham with a shiny glaze, a large bowl of rice mixed with fruits and nuts, various salads and dishes of roasted vegetables. Juliana could have only spent her entire day cooking for her family. The sight of it all made Matthew’s mouth water.

He enjoyed seeing Rafael so relaxed. When he was at home, surrounded by his beloved family, a quiet confidence overtook him and he chatted and joked with ease, laughing loudly with everyone. Some of his smaller cousins clung to him eagerly, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Play acrobats with me,” the little girl begged. Raf gave her an apologetic smile as he ruffled her hair.

“I don’t know if I can do that right now,” he said, as her mom approached.

“Cara, Rafael’s still recovering, remember?” she said. “Max was looking for board games earlier, why don’t we see if he needs some players?”

“I used to spin her round and turn her upside down and said she was like a circus acrobat, then it became a game,” he explained to Matthew, as Cara went with her mom to find some games. “But I think that counts as ‘over-exertion’ for now.”

“Let’s hope Operation will be just as exciting,” Matthew chuckled.

“Oh, you’d be surprised how competitive the little kids can get. I think she’ll be just fine.”

As they spoke, someone loaded a Christmas CD into Juliana’s CD player and Brazilian music filled the room. A few of the couples started giggling and twirling round each other. Raf lightly rested his hands on Matthew’s waist. Seeing where this was going, Matthew wrapped his arms around Rafael’s waist.

“Looks like you’re not completely out of energy,” he said, as they gently swayed from side to side.

“Gotta build my strength somehow,” Raf chuckled. Matthew leaned up to kiss his cheek as Marcia snapped their photo.

“Sorry,” she grinned, as they looked over. “But you’re a very handsome couple.”

“Send me a copy of that when you get the chance,” Raf said. “Matthew, do you want another drink?”

Leaving Matthew in the company of his aunt, Raf went into the kitchen to grab Matthew another beer and a root beer for himself when Holly walked into the kitchen.

“Hello,” she said cheerfully, and Raf jumped slightly.

“Hi, Holly, how are you? Uh, can I refill your glass?”

“Could I have a glass of red wine?”

“Sure, I’ll get it now!”

Holly watched as Raf hurried to the wine cupboard and poured out a measure of pinot noir. His hand trembled slightly as he handed it to her.

“Are you…nervous?” she asked, accepting the glass.

“Umm…I mean…I really care about Matthew and he loves you a lot and…I probably haven’t made a great impression.” He looked guilty, and Holly realised.

“You’re referring to the fact you broke up with him,” she said. “And, to be honest…no, that wasn’t the best first impression. But you did save his life, and that counts for something.” She put the glass down on the counter and faced Rafael properly.

“Apparently you thought you were a better match for your ex?”

“…Yes. I know it sounds stupid, but at the time I thought I was doing what was best. I’m sorry,” he added. Holly smiled.

“Rafael, relax,” she said. “Matthew told me about what happened…and about how you ran into the room and knocked him away from an assassin. I just hope you’ll never have to know how it feels hear about how your only surviving child narrowly avoided death. And it's thanks to you.” A shadow crossed her face and for a second Raf thought she might cry, but she collected herself. “Look, I don’t presume to know the ins and outs of your relationships. But I’ve seen the look on Matthew’s face when he talks about you, and all things considered I can give you a second chance at a first impression.”

“Thank you,” Raf smiled, his relief taking even himself by surprise. “I won’t waste it.”

“I’m sure you won’t.” Holly picked up her glass and took a sip. “Let me know if you’re up for visiting Colorado sometime.”

As midnight approached, the children were roused from their naps and brought downstairs. They instantly picked up on the excitement in the house and were bouncing around, eager to start the celebrations. The older ones ran around in their pyjamas, not wanting to waste time getting dressed, babies and toddlers clung to their parents shyly.

Matthew stood between Holly and Rafael as the family piled into the dining room and Juliana said a short prayer of thanks. Her voice tightened as she reiterated her gratitude for her family’s health and the fact that they could all be there to celebrate Christmas together. The sentiment was shared by every single person in the room. Kisses were shared between couples, parents and children. Warm looks were cast to Rafael and Matthew. Holly lightly ran her hand over Matthew’s back, coming to rest at his shoulder, and Matthew slipped his own hand into Rafael’s.

The wave of emotion gently passed and gave way to the family digging into the food and spilling out to fill the chairs and couches set up in the kitchen and living room – there were too many people to eat round the table. Matthew helped himself to pieces of turkey and ham, chicken salad, rice (there was a version with and without raisins that people bickered over). He added a small spoonful of farofa, upon advice of Raf’s cousin who said it would complement the meat.

He sat with Rafael and some cousins in a corner of the living room, under a glowing Christmas tree decorated with silver baubles. The fire was roaring, and they dug into their food. Raf’s cousin Marco started mucking around, moving the figures of the Nativity scene until baby Jesus was outside the stable, and the wise men worshipped the donkey.

“Don’t laugh, it encourages him,” Marco’s sister Hannah groaned. “He’s always switching stuff around at home.”

“Salt and sugar?”

“Not yet,” Marco said, with a wicked grin. He settled back down in his armchair. “Matthew, what’s it like being a doctor?”

“Oh, er…”

“Is it hard? Do you cut people open?”

“It is hard, especially when I started. But no, I don’t cut people open, that’s surgeons.”

“So what do you do?”

“I diagnose patients. In a nutshell, they come in, I speak with them and ask them questions about the symptoms they’re experiencing. Then I can start working out what’s the most likely problem and start testing for it.”

“I could never work in a hospital,” Hannah said. “I can’t deal with puke.”

“You get used to that surprisingly quickly,” Matthew said calmly. “If you threw up right now, I could probably catch it.”

“Eeeeew!”

But they couldn’t help laughing, and started sharing some of their own hospital experiences. Raf went quiet, letting the conversation wash over him, and shooting Matthew a reassuring smile. Diversion arrived in the form of Holly and some aunts, who all had freshly topped up wine glasses.

It was nearing two in the morning and Matthew’s head was resting on Raf’s shoulder as they shared a piece of rich rabanada for dessert. The energy was starting to drop, food making everyone sleepy, until Pablo called that it was time for presents.

The Aveiro family did Secret Santa by household. Rafael was included with his parents this year and opened up vouchers and wine-tasting for three, to be used any time within the next twelve months.

“I can’t wait to put those to use. Wine-tasting will be fabulous when the weather’s nice,” Pablo said, wrapping his arm around Natalia.

They had bought a selection of board games for Raf’s cousin Bruna and her husband. Apparently they were both game nerds and had even met in a board game café. Bruna was pregnant, and Natalia had also put together a bonus gift of baby clothes, diapers, and a few sensory toys.

“Thanks Natalia, you’re amazing,” Bruna beamed.

Later, when the party was finally winding down, young children were back in bed and grown-ups were inflating mattresses. Rafael and Matthew slipped outside to sit on the back porch, wrapped in blankets and nursing mugs of hot chocolate. It was one of those cold, clear winter nights with a bright crescent moon and stars dotting the sky.

“How have you been tonight?” Raf asked. “I hope it didn’t get too overwhelming meeting everyone at once?”

“No, I’m having a great time. I’ve been curious about meeting the rest of your family. And my mom fit right in, I’ve barely seen her since we walked through the door.”

“I was so nervous about meeting her, I was afraid she wouldn’t like me.”

“What’s the verdict now?”

“I felt like she was assessing me when you came in, then she ran into me in the kitchen. She told me to relax, and that she’d given me a second chance.”

“I knew she would. Did you see her dancing with your aunt and uncle earlier?”

“Yes,” Raf said, and chuckled. “Remember the first time you came round here and I taught you to dance samba?”

“Always. Best first date I’ve ever had,” Matthew said, lightly teasing.

Raf took Matthew’s hand in his, his smiling growing a little more serious. “I’m really happy you’re here, Matthew. I wouldn’t trade this night with you for the world.”

“Me too.”

Matthew cuddled closer into Rafael’s side, closing his eyes to breathe in his scent. It was amazing how one person could feel like home. The last few weeks hadn’t been the easiest, but Rafael’s gentle presence made all the difference. Six months ago he had been facing an empty future, but now he was sitting here feeling like the luckiest man alive.

“Raf, I—”

“Hey!” The boys jumped a little as Holly opened the back door. “What are you two doing out here? Aren’t you cold?”

“No, we’re good,” Matthew said, indicating the blankets as Rafael held up his mug. “What about you? Are you drunk?”

“I’ve just had some wines.” Holly gave Matthew a friendly swat on the arm before going to sit beside Rafael. “Tonight was so much fun. It must have been nice to grow up with such a large family.”

“It was,” Raf said. “My family’s always ready to help each other, and my grandparents often babysat us as kids when our parents worked, so I grew up super-close with my cousins.”

“A supportive family means everything. That reminds me, I need to call my brother tomorrow…he’s probably asleep now.” She sighed wistfully. “We never had big holiday celebrations like this. And then they got even smaller…”

A pang went through Matthew’s chest.

“Mom…”

“I’m fine, I’m fine, I promise,” Holly sniffled, wiping her eyes. “But I think it’s time to find my bed.”

She turned to Rafael and kissed him on the cheek.

“Matthew was right about you, you’re a lovely young man. I’m glad you have each other.”

She kissed Matthew goodnight and shuffled into the house, as Matthew laughed at Rafael’s stunned expression.

****

Matthew woke up around lunch time with Raf’s soft breath tickling the back of his neck, which would have been lovely if it weren’t for the fact they were sharing a room with three other couples who were now stumbling around trying to get dressed, and the kids were already running through the house. Even with the subdued atmosphere of the after-party, the house was full of life as the children played with their new toys and everyone nibbled on leftovers.

Once they made it back to Matthew’s apartment late-afternoon (carrying several tins of leftover food), they indulged in cocoa with marshmallows. Matthew’s apartment looked sparse in comparison to Juliana’s Christmassy house: he and his roommates had hung up a paperchain that had since fallen apart, but they had bought a small Christmas tree that now sat on the coffee table and was switched on to emit a gentle glow. Matthew was also particularly proud of the toilet roll tubes that he and Elijah had turned into Christmas trees with some green tissue paper and glue, which now sat on the windowsill.

A tradition that they had had forever was watching The Snowman, which they did now as they drank their cocoa, then Matthew got Spooky out of her cage to play as Holly baked an apple and cinnamon cake – another tradition. By the time his roommates had got home from their Christmas Day shift, the apartment was filled with mouthwatering smells.

“Holly, you didn’t have to do this!” Sienna said.

“Of course I did! You’ve all been working hard, it’s the least you deserve.”

The gang had – correctly – predicted they wouldn’t feel like cooking a full Christmas spread after work and so had improvised: cuts of turkey and ham from the supermarket, frozen fries and mixed vegetables. With Juliana's leftovers, it was all ready to eat in twenty-five minutes.

“Sorry it’s so basic…” Sienna started to say, but Holly cut her off.

“Honey, stop apologising. The important thing is that we’re having fun.”

Secret Santa wasn’t over yet, and the roommates took turns swapping over gifts as they gorged on cake. Elijah correctly guessed that Matthew had bought him some funky glow-in-the-dark Xbox controllers, and then Matthew unwrapped a mug that said ‘World’s Okay-est Junior Fellow’ that could have only come from Jackie. Refilling their glasses with a cry of ‘cheers!’, Matthew couldn’t help feeling good about the year to come.

****

January brought new challenges, and not just for Matthew. Ethan asked him to stay behind after a brainstorm a few days after new year.

“I actually hoped I could perhaps get a bit of…advice?” Ethan asked, awkwardly. “It’s…about my mother. Nobody else really knows what’s going on.”

“I’ll do my best,” Matthew nodded, sitting back down at the table. “What’s up?”

“Like I said, my mother was brought in two months ago after a heroin overdose. She had three days of detox here, like all patients. Since then, she’s been in a rehabilitation centre that my father has been paying for.”

“I take it you haven’t spoken to her?”

“No, at least, not beyond anything as a doctor. I only told my father because my conscience won out. He took it from there and found the rehab centre.”

“So…what’s the issue?”

“The issue is that the rehab centre is expensive and he thinks my mother isn’t happy there. She’s also been asking about me almost incessantly.” Ethan groaned. “I’ve said time and time again, I have no interest in reaching out to the woman who left her family without a second thought. It almost destroyed my father, and now I’m the one who should reach out lest I lose a relationship with him too?”

Matthew bit his lip. It was odd seeing Ethan like this, out of control and truly torn between his personal feelings and professional feelings.

“Um…what do you want from me?”

“I’m so sorry to put this on you but…I suppose I want to ask what you would do?”

Matthew suddenly felt the dull ache of disappointment as he thought of his father. When his sister was sick and dying, his parents would argue when they thought he was asleep: Robert would shout at Holly that she should have known Casey’s pains weren’t ordinary growing pains, she should have taken her to a doctor sooner, should have started the treatment earlier, completely bypassing the idea that he himself had done exactly the same that Holly had. It had made Matthew feel sick inside. Robert didn’t win back any favours during the aftermath, when he worked well into the night and Matthew was heating up a TV dinner by himself in Robert’s new apartment that had never felt like a new home. The final straw was when he came out as bisexual to him at age eighteen: ‘but you still like women more than guys, right!?’

Matthew tried to think about what it be like if Robert was suddenly rushed into hospital and frowned. It was easier to understand Ethan’s conflict. He picked up a pen and started twisting it around his finger.

“I suppose I wouldn’t want much to do with him beyond being his doctor either,” he said. “At least not without hearing a genuine apology from him.” That was all Matthew had wanted when he was younger, before he gave up. “As for my mom, I don’t know if I’d be able to tell her. I’d see what my conscience tells me too.”

“Hmm.” Ethan was quiet for a minute, then gave a dry smile. “I’ll bet you didn’t think we had bad parents in common.”

“Wasn’t my first thought,” Matthew said with a weak smile of his own. “Is there a way you can help your mom without necessarily having a relationship with her?”

Ethan sat back, thoughtfully. “I suppose if my father wants to find another rehab, I could cover the cost. For his sake, not for hers.” He reached into his coat pocket for his phone. “Thanks, Matthew, you can go. I’ll take it from here. Thank you for listening.”

Matthew made the rounds on his patients, then went to the ground floor nurses station to check if he had any new ones coming through when he was almost bowled over by someone running very fast.

“Sorry!” Bryce called, without looking back. It hadn’t even registered to him that it was Matthew as he called out for Dr Tanaka.

“What the hell has gotten into you, Lahela?!” Taneka snapped as he came out of the hallway that led to OR1. “I was about to page for a cover surgeon. Scrub in NOW.”

Bryce disappeared down the hallway as Matthew exchanged a look with Nurse Ronnie, but Ronnie was just as mystified as he was.

A clue came in the form of Keiki, rushing round the corner, a backpack sliding off her shoulders as she looked around frantically.

“Keiki? What’s going on?”

“I…I…” Keiki was out of breath. “Have you seen Bryce?”

“He just ran into surgery. Is everything OK?”

Keiki swallowed and blinked hard, and Matthew suggested they find somewhere to sit. Luckily the cafeteria was relatively quiet as they sat at a small table. He wasn’t sure what he’d have done if it was crowded. He just hoped Keiki wouldn’t ask why people still stared at him. The attack had left a deep mark.

“So, what happened?” he asked, once Keiki had shelled off her backpack and slumped back against a chair. “You guys haven’t had a falling out, have you?”

“No…I don’t think so.” Keiki started nibbling her thumbnail. “I got into a fight at school and was sent to the principal’s office, Bryce had to come and pick me up. And he was already kind of stressed because he had this major surgery today. I can’t remember the name of it, but he said he was basically going to saw someone in half.”

“Wait…a hemicorporectomy?” Matthew gasped. “That’s huge. There’s only ever been a handful of them performed worldwide.”

“Yeah, he said that too,” Keiki said, glumly. “He’s been super pumped, but then he had to come over to school and it almost made him late. I’d have killed myself if he’d missed it because of me.”

“Don’t ever say that,” Matthew winced. “It sounded like he made it into surgery, so don’t wallow in guilt. What was the fight about?”

“Some boy wanted to add me on Pictagram and I’m not on it, but he didn’t believe me. He searched my name and all these articles about my parents came up. He called me a jail baby, then told the entire class, so I broke his nose.”

“Ouch,” Matthew said. “I’m sorry you had to put up with that. Are you worried about how the class might treat you now?”

“Kinda,” Keiki nodded. “But it was really hard for Bryce to get me into school in the first place, especially without our parents. Now he might have to start the whole process again.”

“Let’s hope it won’t come to that. Did Bryce say anything on the way over here?”

“Just that we’d talk about it later. Actually, how long is this surgery meant to last?”

“Not sure. A complex procedure like that could be at least twelve hours. And that’s assuming there’s no kind of follow-up.”

Keiki’s lip trembled. Matthew slowly reached out to put his hand over hers, quietly encouraging her to speak.

“I don’t mean to be a burden or anything,” she sniffled. “I was so desperate to get away from Hawaii that I just flew out without thinking it through. Bryce promised he’d make it work, and he really is trying. He’s learning to cook, and I’ve seen his budget spreadsheets…then I pull crap like this and he almost misses surgery and I know I’m being selfish but I don’t want to stay in the hospital, but I really don’t want to be alone in the apartment all night…”

“Come here,” Matthew said, standing to give her a hug. She clung to him, sniffling into his chest. “You’re not being selfish. You’re fifteen, of course you don’t want to be alone all night. Does it happen often?”

“It’s happened a fair bit for about a month. Bryce said it comes and goes.”

Matthew released Keiki and they sat back down. She watched as he reached into his pocket for his wallet and phone.

“I think when you both have time, you and Bryce need to look at your system and see where you can make some readjustments.” He passed Keiki a twenty. “Make sure you have something to eat and drink, and let’s exchange numbers. I’ll try and check in with you when I can, otherwise I’ll call when my shift ends. If Bryce is still in surgery, you can at least stay at my apartment tonight.”

“Thanks Matthew,” Keiki grinned. “Thanks so much!”

****

That afternoon, Matthew hurried through a corridor and dashed down some stairs into the lobby. He checked his watch anxiously; he was just about on time.

“Matthew!”

Matthew smiled when Raf called his name. He was sat in one of the plastic chairs in a grey t-shirt and navy sweat pants, his coat held over his arm.

“Must be my lucky day,” Raf continued with a slightly teasing smile as he stood up.

“Not like you asked me to meet you here, or anything,” Matthew chuckled. “Ready to go?”

They walked side-by-side down to the training rooms where Rafael was about to have his first proper physical therapy session. Matthew glanced sideways at him as they walked, noting how he stood tall and returned the greetings of those walking past. He even started humming a tune under his breath.

“You seem pretty cheery,” Matthew noted. “Do you not find it weird being back?”

“Trust me, I do. I didn’t sleep much last night because I was thinking about what it would be like, and when I got here I had to psych myself up a bit to go in. But I worked here for around four and a half years. I have so many memories, good and bad, about this place. The attack was just one of the things that happened. When I thought about it like that, it was easier to walk in.” He glanced around. “Although…maybe it would be different if I had to go back into that room in particular.”

“That was what set me off too, at first,” Matthew said. He slipped his hand through Raf’s. “If you need to leave at any point, just say the word.”

“Thanks,” Raf smiled, squeezing his hand. “I think I’ll be OK.”

He knocked on the door of studio 3 and Matthew followed him in. A woman with a lot of curly hair, dressed in workout gear, looked up from where she was stretching.

“Hi, I’m Tara. You must be Rafael?”

“That’s me. And this is…”

“Dr Valentine, right? Are you on the medical case?”

“Actually I’m just here as Raf’s partner,” Matthew said, taking off his white coat. He’d changed into workout gear before meeting Rafael. “You can just call me Matthew.”

“OK, great,” Tara said, brightly. “So if you two grab a mat, we’ll get started.”

The two of them stood next to each other at the foot of two gym mats as Tara tapped on her phone until some ethereal music started playing from the speakers. Matthew suddenly felt like he should be in a forest by a stream.

“We’re concerned that the toxin might have affected your balance and coordination,” Tara said to Rafael as she stood in front of them both. “I thought we’d start with some yoga to warm up, then focus on some simple reflex work. Nice and easy to start with.”

“Sounds good.”

Tara led them through some poses – warrior, cobra, downward dog – then talked them through a sun salutation. She reiterated to Rafael to go at a pace he felt comfortable with, until the third and fourth rounds of sun salutation when he was told to up the pace. He did so, and despite being slightly out of breath, said he was good to carry on. As they both stood in tree pose, Matthew kept half an eye on Raf. He kept wobbling and several times he put his foot on the floor to steady himself. Tara kept saying “engage the core” which Matthew doubted was helpful – most of Rafael’s core had been destroyed by a maitotoxin – but he wasn’t here as a doctor so held his tongue.

“That was a good start,” Tara said. “How did you find that, Rafael?”

“It was OK,” Raf said. “Except I was surprised at how hard it was.”

“I know, it’s difficult starting again but it will get easier the more you do it.” Tara picked up a small red ball that was sat by the speaker. “Are you ready to move on to co-ordination?”

“Let’s do it.”

Matthew sat on a side bench to watch as Tara threw the ball to Raf. She hadn’t tossed too hard and it should have been an easy catch, but Raf’s aim was off and the ball just brushed his fingertips. He gritted his teeth as he scooped it up from the floor to toss it back…and it arched sideways, off by several feet.

“Damn it,” Raf said suddenly. “I’m so sorry…I was aiming for your hands…” He turned away as he went after the ball, rubbing his face. He still looked angry with himself when he took his hand away.

“We’ll just try again, maybe it’ll help if I come in at a slightly different angle…”

“Actually, Tara, can you give us a few minutes?” Matthew said, jumping up and walking over to her. Tara seemed hesitant. Matthew lowered his voice. “Please. Let me talk to him alone for a minute.”

Raf had taken Matthew’s place on the bench, where he sat with his head in his hands. Tara nodded.

“Alright, I could use a cup of coffee. I’ll be back soon.”

Once she was out the room, Matthew sat beside Raf, lightly resting a hand on his back. Raf didn’t move. Matthew wondered if he should be the one to break the silence.

“What if I don’t get better?”

Raf spoke so quietly Matthew almost didn’t hear. Raf lowered his hands and leaned against the wall, not looking at him.

“Everyone’s telling me I need to give it time, but what if that’s not enough? For so long I defined myself by what I could do, and I was always looking to do better…” His voice wobbled and he took a steadying breath. “When I woke up after the attack, I was told I might not be able to fully regain my physical abilities and honestly I’ve been trying to make peace with that. And now here I am and I can’t even catch a ball…”

He looked away, wiping his eye. Matthew hated that he couldn’t help. If he had the ability to put Rafael’s muscles back together, he would have done so there and then. He had to admit, he hadn’t thought much about the deeper effects of the toxin – he had been too caught up in being back together – and he berated himself for not realising it sooner.

“Nothing is certain when it comes to recovery. We both know that,” he said. “But I am certain that you’re the most resilient person I know. No matter what life throws at you, you get back up and keep going. This will be the same. I know you’ll get through this.”

Raf didn’t seem so sure as he looked at Matthew.

“What about you? You seem OK but…are you?”

Matthew considered and shrugged.

“I’m doing the best I can. I’m not quite ready to go into the patient room yet either, and I definitely don’t want to be alone when I do go in. And I still get nightmares sometimes.” Rafael reached for his hand and held it in both of his. “Largely, I just try and take it one day at a time. But Raf, I’ve never had the same athletic ability that you do, and I didn’t need physical therapy as part of my recovery. I wish I could give you the proper advice on all that stuff…”

“I know, it’s OK,” Raf said. “Just…this is wild, but my old boss reached out to me. She said they’re open to me coming back as a paramedic if I’m still up for it.”

“Wow. Seriously?”

“I know. Who’d have thought the way to get my job back was to do the thing I got suspended for.” He rolled his eyes.

“Are you worried you won’t be fit enough to go back?”

“That’s part of it, yeah. But there’s another part of me that doesn’t want to go back, even if I could. I was looking for change…and the one I got was bigger than I ever imagined, and I don’t know what’s scarier: going back to what I was before, or not being able to.”

Matthew’s shoulders relaxed a tiny bit that Raf wasn’t overly eager to return to his old job. He scooted closer and spoke cautiously.

“It sounds like you could get the best of both worlds. The paramedic position is an offer to fall back on, but you’re also free to try something new.”

Raf thought about it, then smiled. His shoulders had relaxed too, dropping back a fair bit.

“You’re a real optimist, you know that?”

“Takes one to know one.”

Rafael looked at Matthew for a few seconds, then suddenly wrapped him up in a big, tight hug.

“Thanks,” he murmured in his ear. Matthew felt warm, not just from Raf’s body heat. His cheeks were flushed when they pulled apart.

“Are you ready to get back to training?” He asked. “I can page Tara.”

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

Matthew stood, but before he could retrieve his pager from his coat, Rafael caught hold of his arm and pulled him down to give him a kiss.

“I’m really happy you’re back in my life, Matthew.”

“Me too.”

When Tara came back – large cup of coffee in hand – she restarted the reflex work. Raf missed the ball for a second time, caught it on the third, missed the fourth, caught again on the fifth, sixth and seventh. Tara had no problem moving him onto some aerobics, and then the three of them cooled down with meditative breathing.

“Thanks so much for coming with me,” Rafael said to Matthew as they left. “And for listening.”

“Anytime.” Matthew glanced in the direction of the cafeteria. “So, um, do you have to leave right now?”

“I said I’d text my dad when I was ready to be picked up. Why?”

“If you have time, I’d love to buy you a cup of coffee.”

It felt blessedly normal to walk into the cafeteria with Raf, except it was hard to ignore the many stares they got. Raf kept his eyes straight ahead and Matthew glared at people until they turned away. But sitting together over coffee and cupcakes was the kind of thing they had done before their worlds were turned upside down. Of course their extremely caring friends, family and colleagues was massively appreciated, but the slices of normality were pure heaven by comparison. Even if it came in the form of dishwater coffee and slightly dry pastries.

It put him in a good mood for the rest of the day. The spring in his step didn’t come often and he laughed and joked with patients until he heard June’s voice as he left a patient’s room.

“Hey, Matthew. I feel like we hardly talk now.”

“Oh yeah…” Matthew couldn’t shake off the memory of June reading his file. He had since second-guessed everything she said to him, wondering if it was true or her trying to win him over.

“Just a lot going on at the moment, I guess,” he shrugged.

“You seemed positive about how the therapy was going.”

“It’s helping.”

“Well, good,” she said, cheerfully. She walked alongside him for a while. “So, your intern actually won against Thorne.”

“It’s his own fault.”

“Of course it is, it’s been a long time coming. The problem is, weren’t we also trying to win over Mass Kenmore into sharing their research grant and merging with us?”

“What are you getting at?” Matthew asked suspiciously, realising June might have a little more information than some others.

“Thorne got suspended for six months. In the grand scheme of things, that’s nothing. People think he should have got more, it doesn’t put Edenbrook in the best light. A lot of Mass Kenmore doctors don’t want to work in a place that cares about doctors like Thorne, and a lot of other doctors don’t want that connection.”

Matthew stopped. “You’re not serious,” he said, weakly. June nodded.

“I’ve been asking around. An official decision is yet to be announced, but if I were you, I’d consider making contingency plans.”

She walked away, her hair falling over her shoulder and down her back. Matthew sighed, heavily, his good mood wilting.

****

Bryce was bent over a surgical table, beads of sweat on his brow, his mind completely focused on the body that lay on top of it. Tanaka’s voice telling him to seal the internal organs was far away. This wasn’t Bryce’s first amputation but it was the most drastic by far…

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, Dr Tanaka…”

Bryce tensed as he heard the sweep of the door and the voice of the nurse who had just walked in. The last time his surgery had been interrupted like this, his friends had just been poisoned.

“…A couple have just walked into the hospital and they’re demanding to see Dr Lahela, and they won’t leave until they do. It’s, um, causing some disturbance.”

The bad feeling in Bryce’s stomach shifted slightly; he thought he knew who this couple might be and they weren’t much better than poison. He glanced over at Dr Tanaka. Above the mask, his eyes were cautious.

“If you don’t mind, I’d better go and see what’s going on,” Bryce said, guardedly. “I’ll try and make it quick.”

“Very well. Dr Pierce, if you could take over…?”

Bryce shed his surgical cap and gown in the scrub room before following the nurse into the atrium where – just as he’d suspected – his very own parents were arguing with a security guard. Unlike Bobby, who had a soft side to the people he knew, Jones was ice-cold right down to the core, and yet Bryce’s father was right in his face, arms crossed, staring him in the eye. And he’d wondered where Bryce had got his stubbornness from.

After he’d left home, Bryce hadn’t imagined he’d never see his parents again, but he also hadn’t given any thought to what he’d do if he did. They looked the same as always – bespoke, designer clothing, a large, gold watch on his father’s wrist, the thick fur collar on his mother’s coat, both standing with the same haughty posture – and the wave of anger that washed through Bryce took him by surprise. They had wrecked his life, were on their way to wrecking Keiki’s life, and right when he was really on the cusp of making things better, they had burst in uninvited to destroy everything all over again. In the back of his mind, he wondered how he might be able to come back from this…there was a chance Edenbrook would lay him off for this connection.

But he wasn’t going to let that happen. Bryce took a deep breath, clenched his fists and stormed up to his parents.

“What the hell are you doing here?!”

Mr and Mrs Lahela turned away from the security guard to glare at him. They might have been looking down their noses, but Bryce hadn’t missed the split second of surprise in Mrs Lahela’s expression.

“I was told there was a disturbance and I was needed out here. Instead of a problem, I find you.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” Mr Lahela snarled. He pointed an accusing finger at Bryce. “You were behind this whole thing, weren’t you? You’re nothing but trouble.”

“And what is it I’m supposed to have done?”

“Don’t play dumb. Where’s Keiki?”

Bryce folded his arms across his chest.

“How long did it take you to notice she had left?”

“How dare you?” Mrs Lahela shrieked. People were stopping to stare, Jones made sure no one hung around for too long. Bryce didn’t back down. Even after all this time, it was surprisingly easy to speak in the calm, cool manner that had pissed them off when he was a teenager. Survival instincts were buried deep.

“Did either of you actually speak to her before she left? Or did she try and speak to you, only to be bought off with a shiny new toy? Because apparently money solves everything and god knows you have plenty of it.”

“You don’t know anything, you little shit.” Mr Lahela took three steps forward and grabbed Bryce by the collar. It was his favourite intimidation tactic. Bryce tensed, but narrowed his eyes. “Tell us where our daughter is, or I’ll see to it that your life will be a living hell—”

“Dad.”

Keiki had come rushing forward, so quickly that Bryce hadn’t even seen which direction she came from. Mr Lahela was so surprised that he let go of Bryce, who instantly stepped in front of Keiki protectively. She slipped her hand through his, but when he glanced back at her, her jaw was set determinedly. He squeezed her hand in solidarity.

“Oh, Keiki, thank goodness…” Mrs Lahela seemed to be about to push Bryce aside to give Keiki a hug, but Keiki wasn’t having it.

“Go to hell, Mom!”

“Language!” Mrs Lahela chastised. Bryce rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, because that’s the worst thing about this situation. Tell me, did you ever ask Keiki about how she was doing, or are you completely unaware that she’s still being bullied as a consequence for what you did? Are you both so awful that you’re happy to continue making money off people, despite all the pain you caused…even to your own children?” Bryce’s eyes burned. His voice rose in his fury. It wasn’t fair. “I don’t care what you think of me. Starting over by myself was hard, but I was happy to do it. But you had a chance to do better for Keiki, and you blew it. Somehow, we’re the ones dealing with the fallout of your actions once again. You’ve come into my place of work, kicking and screaming and disturbing a hospital full of patients, and now I’ll have to fix that while you piss off back to your mansion in Hawaii like nothing happened. It’s OK, Keiki and I will take care of ourselves, we’re pretty used to that now. Don’t worry about us; you never did.”

Mr Lahela’s eyes bulged, and he went red in the face. It would have been comical if it weren’t so horrible.

“I…you…you are no longer my son!” he bellowed. Bryce didn’t flinch.

“I knew I never wanted a son,” Mrs Lahela shrugged. A lock of hair had come free from her bun and fallen across her forehead. She tucked it behind her ear. “Well, come on Keiki. If we hurry we can be on a plane back to Hawaii in an hour.”

“No.”

“I beg your pardon?” Mrs Lahela’s voice went dangerously soft.

“I’m not coming back,” Keiki said. She couldn’t stop her voice from trembling but she wouldn’t be silenced. “I told you about the kids at school and you never listened. You just kept brushing it aside and telling me not to draw attention to myself…but it didn’t work! School sucked and you did nothing to help! And then you were always out at work, and I was alone in that massive house, and then every time I tried to talk about that, you just said I should bring a friend over. I didn’t have any and it was because of you!”

People were giving their group a wide berth, but it didn’t stop them from looking over their shoulder. The rage burning inside Bryce was anciently familiar, but even worse now was Keiki’s upset. He pictured his sister as a child, sitting in the cavernous mansion, wondering why no one came for her. He could have punched Mr Lahela square in the face. It was only for Keiki’s sake that he didn’t.

“The fact is,” Keiki continued. “Bryce has been a much better parent than you guys have ever been in your life!”

“Keiki,” Mrs Lahela sighed. “I have never been more disappointed.”

“Agreed,” Mr Lahela said. “Well, Keiki, if that’s how you feel…don’t come back with us. In fact, don’t bother coming back to Hawaii at all.”

Keiki flinched, but refused to let any hurt show on her face. Bryce, meanwhile, felt something victorious inside him, and an empty sort of freedom. They could cut ties with their criminal parents for good, and everything that Keiki hadn’t had back then – a comfortable home, a caring brother – he could make sure she had it now. He wrapped his arm around her tightly; it would be them against the world from now on.

“That’s fine by us.”

Mr Lahela put his arm around his wife and the pair of them stormed towards the exit, talking loudly about all their wasted time. An awkward silence was left in their wake. Nurses and admin staff started busying themselves in an attempt to pretend the scene had never happened, but some idiot bystanders continued to gawp shamelessly. Keiki leaned heavily into Bryce. He started marching towards the outdoor smoking area, pulling her along, and resolutely ignoring everyone around him.

Almost as soon as they were outside, Keiki began to cry. She hid her face in her hands to muffle her sobs. Bryce slumped against the wall, banging his fist against it…but he didn’t have the energy to be mad anymore. He just wanted to forget about it all.

“What a day,” he groaned, sinking to the ground.

“I didn’t think they’d actually disown us like that,” Keiki sniffled. “I guess…I thought…they might…”

“They might do better and actually start behaving like your parents?”

“Well…yeah.” Keiki moved to sit beside Bryce, and he squeezed her shoulder. “What about you? How do you feel?”

“I don’t know,” Bryce sighed. “I think they were dead to me a long time ago, to be honest.”

The two of them lapsed into silence as the gravity of the situation started to dawn. Bryce had been completely independent since med school, but Keiki had lost her home and her family at just fifteen. It was time for Bryce to take some serious consideration into the future. It wasn’t just him anymore.

They jumped when the door clicked open behind them.

“Dr Lahela?”

It was Harper, her stern demeanour gone and replaced with genuine concern.

“Dr Emery, I’m so sorry that had to happen like that.”

“Don’t apologise for your parents, Bryce. You hardly invited them over here.” Harper took a tissue out of her pocket and offered it to Keiki, who took it with a thanks. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but do you feel up to completing your shift?”

“I think I could…I was on the hemicorporectomy…but I want to make sure my little sister gets home.”

Harper nodded.

“I’ll get a message back to Dr Tanaka.”

“Thank you so much, Harper.”

Harper smiled as she walked back inside. Bryce sighed heavily, then stood up and opened his arms wide. Keiki stood and hugged him tightly until she couldn’t breathe. They broke apart with a small smile.

“I’m sorry I made you late for surgery this morning,” Keiki said.

“I’d almost forgotten that,” Bryce said, with a weary chuckle. “But don’t worry about it. I’m sorry I kind of abandoned you in the car.”

“That’s OK. Matthew found me in the hospital and made sure I had something to eat.”

“Good old Matthew. I owe him one.”

Bryce took Keiki home before rushing back to the hospital to finish up the surgery. Given the complexity of the surgery, Tanaka had decided to pause it for tonight, and finish the rest tomorrow. He was understanding when Bryce explained the situation with his parents, he wasn’t even mad about Bryce being late on this occasion.

Word about the infamous Lahela’s spread fast around the hospital, though there was a general underlining that Bryce wasn’t to blame for it. He left the surgery to find people looking at him with sympathy rather than resentment, which was preferable…though not as preferable as his family life being a secret. On the plus side, Sienna had heard what happened and texted him and Keiki an invite for dinner, which they both accepted.

“Oh my gosh, what is that?” Keiki gasped, making a beeline for the chinchilla cage as soon as she walked through the door.

“Haven’t you ever seen a chinchilla before?” Elijah asked.

“Not in real life!”

Elijah opened the cage for Spooky to meet Keiki. Matthew turned to Bryce.

“How are you doing?”

“We’re OK. I’m more concerned with where to go from here, actually. If Keiki could drive, it might be better, but then she suggested she drop out of school and work. I don’t want her doing that.” He shook his head. “We’ll figure it out. We don’t need our parents.”

“Bryce…”

“OK everyone, food’s ready!” Sienna called, pulling a lasagne dish out of the oven. Matthew’s mouth watered at the rich smell and bubbling cheese and he helped Sienna plate up seven portions.

“Does anyone mind if I take the leftover piece to eat tomorrow?” he asked.

“Alright Garfield,” Jackie snorted. “Hey, Keiki, good on you for standing up to your parents. It’s not that easy.”

“Thanks,” Keiki said, as everyone settled on the couch to eat. “Have you had to do the same?”

Jackie made a face.

“I wasn’t in the same situation as you, but my parents are traditional Indians and that means, unfortunately for me, they wanted me to be married by now. Only I had no intention of doing so, and studied to be a doctor instead. Every single holiday we would have the same argument: it didn’t matter what I did, it wasn’t good enough if I wasn’t looking for a man.” She shuddered, then gave Keiki a sympathetic smile. “Don’t waste your energy on a lost cause.”

Aurora was sat next to Keiki and put a hand on her shoulder.

“I know how it feels to not want to be connected to your family name, but you’re not responsible for your parents decisions. It may seem impossible to make your own path, but it’s not.”

“You know you can come here if you need anything,” Sienna said brightly. “Consider us your extended family!”

Keiki’s smile was just as bright as she thanked them all. Bryce had gone quiet as he tried not to cry. He just gave Sienna a silent, grateful squeeze.

“Anyway,” Jackie said, loudly. “Crappy parents aside, I’ve got an announcement to make.”

“You’re engaged?” Elijah quipped, causing Jackie to toss a nearby pen at him. Aurora told him he deserved it.

“Panacea are having a conference in Vegas this weekend,” Jackie explained. “They’ve invited a couple of doctors, including me, so I’m going to go and dig up some dirt on them. Eventually I want to take them down.”

“Wait, what?”

“Take them down? How?”

“I don’t know. But one way or another, I’m gonna do it. So if I get into some kind of major trouble in Vegas and can’t come back…you’ll know why.”

She shrugged, like it was a big deal, as everyone else gaped at her.

“So…will you be needing a getaway driver?” Bryce asked casually. “I mean, I can’t let you have all the fun.”

“Really? You want to come?”

“Wait!” Keiki said, quickly. “If it’s a weekend thing, will I be alone again? I won’t be able to do anything in Vegas.”

Bryce cursed, but then his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers.

“Kyra. She said she owes me after I did her gore-tex surgery. She’ll keep you company. She’s lovely, I promise.”

“I haven’t had the chance to see her since her surgery,” Matthew said. “Is she doing OK?”

“She’s fine, but she’s milking the ‘take it easy’ angle a tiny bit,” Bryce said. “A weekend hangout will be perfect for her, and Keiki won’t have to spend an entire weekend stuck in a hotel room.”

“You guys could stay in the apartment and look after Spooky,” Sienna said, and Jackie sat up.

“Look after Spooky as in…”

“As in we’re going too,” Sienna said. Aurora and Elijah were nodding behind her. Elijah had a look of distant anger in his eyes; he hated the American pharmaceutical system.

Jackie looked like she couldn’t believe her luck until she realised Matthew hadn’t said anything. She turned to him uncertainly.

“I want you to know that I one hundred percent support your cause,” Matthew said. “Just…the last time I got involved in a zany scheme, Raf and I almost died.”

The room quietened at that. Jackie patted Matthew’s hand.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” she said. “The fact that everyone is willing is more than enough.”

That night, Matthew lay in bed and found himself thinking. He thought of Mrs Martinez, who just wanted a life worth living. He thought of Willow and Rowan, the twins last year who could only get hepatitis treatment by being entered into a testing program after hospitals had refused them for their lack of insurance. He thought of how upset Jackie had been on the roof, and of every single patient who had ever second-guessed going to hospital because of the cost.

He hauled himself out of bed and across the hall to Jackie’s room where he knocked on her door until she answered. She stood in her underwear, glaring at him.

“What?!”

“I’m in.”

Tags: @sazanes @rafasgirl23415 @ceruleansnake0