In the year 2150, Earth is drained of resources and is severely overpopulated. The only option is to decrease the population drastically. Countries have signed a multilateral mandate to eliminate 5 percent of their population every year in whatever way they want. "The Thinning" is a standardised test that people who graduate from high school have to take, in which the lowest performing students are culled.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) is a Rohingya insurgent group active in northern Rakhine State Myanmar. ARSA says it is fighting on behalf of more than 1 million Rohingya Muslims who have been denied their most basic rights including citizenship and has armed and evacuated a significant number of Rohingya from Rakhine State.  The Myanmar authorities however say that they are ‘terrorists’ who want to impose Islamic rule – declaring it a terrorist group in 2017. Amnesty International has published reports detailing the brutalities done by ARSA on the military and townships that strongly support the government.

The "honeymoon phase" in relationships refers to the initial period of excitement and idealisation, often characterised by intense affection and minimal conflict