[ACCEPTED] Mictlan Fluff

[La Villa Strangiato]

Speshul thenks to Eddymakaveli, Syc, and Mini for the Spanish and Portuguese help.

Lore Impact: Small to medium

Species: Human (and Skrell)

Short Description: Adds some more culture fluff to Mictlan, including the matón animal, common cuisine, and media.

How will this be reflected on-ship?: More background development for Mictlani characters, additional entertainment properties and food for people to reference

Does this addition do anything not achieved by what already exists?: I would say that it adds a bit more dimension to Mictlan, and now it's not just "funny space Mexico"; it's also space Brazil!

Do you understand that the project may change over time in ways you may not foresee once it is handed over to the Lore Team?: Yes.

Long Description:

Flora and Fauna

One of the most infamous animals in Mictlan's jungles is the matón (Quadcheire mictlani); a hulking, ape-like creature with a leathery hide of mottled green. Four-armed, four-eyed, and usually sitting around seven feet tall, matón males, or bulls, are highly aggressive and territorial. While their females, or sows, are generally calmer, they also become even more aggressive than males when their young is approached or threatened. Early on in Mictlan's colonisation, frequent attacks from matón led the settlers to wage an all-out extinction campaign against them. While they never did succeed, the matón has been pushed to the deeper jungles of Mictlan, with only the juveniles occasionally wandering out from their habitat. In recent years, the population of matón has recovered too well, meaning matón meat has come into vogue again.
Cuisine

Much like their ancestors, the staple foods of the Mictlani people are rice, corn, and beans. Black beans are the most common, though kidney beans, lentils, and other legumes find their way quite easily into other dishes. Usually rice is spiced or curried, or combined with tomatoes, hot peppers, and fish to make a casserole called jola (yo-la). Eggs on spiced rice can also be common street fare.

Most outsiders associate Mictlan with food such as tacos, enchiladas, or burritos. While these are certainly common, especially with the street vendors of Arequipa and Saladas, a great deal of food on the planet tends to be imported from other planets with a twist. Burgers and pasta are much-beloved; a "Mictlani burger" will usually have a chicken or matón patty with toppings of mango, guava, or pineapple along with the works. Pasta al pastor can be dyed with Grumbo squid ink, turning it pink, blue, green, or black.

Seafood is common pretty much everywhere, but particularly Lago de Abundacia and Sikunda. Shellfish skewers, spicy sashimi, and a stew called moqueca, which is served with rice and plantains, are very popular streetfood dishes.

Barbeque also holds a special place in Mictlani cuisine, particularly in Arequipa. Meat is sprinkled with coarse salt, roasted over flames, and served with a sauce of finely chopped parsley, vinegar, oil, and garlic. Eating the internal organs of animals is not uncommon, with the hearts of chickens and matón being common. Tripe, liver, and beef tongue are also valued.
Media

Mictlan has a rich and diverse culture of music, from house to rock to electronica, but what most associate with the planet has become its soul and samba music. In some parts of the planet, Mictlani soul has started to mix with Skrellian methods, consisting of the harmonising and call-and-response typical to Skrell music. Tentáculos Ondulantes is perhaps the exemplar of this culture mix; a duo made up of Rivaldo Arcos and Xu'quwil Luu-qel, plus an ever-rotating backup band. Their style is most typically soul and samba-centric, but they've recently branched out into hip-hop style beats and jazzier melodies. Xavier Riviera is a pop crooner well-loved by women around the Spur, but often derided by men for his light, poppy lyrics.

Telenovelas, live-action TV dramas or soap operas, are common on Mictlan and have gained some memetic recognition in other parts of the Spur. While some are quite high-budget and can be part of various genres, the ones that become popular are typically of the "so bad it's good" variety; overwrought acting, tangled plot threads, and high-energy scene transitions. Malena Santanas is one of the medium's most popular actresses; a film actress in her youth, she moved into playing mother or older villainess characters in modern telenovelas. Much-beloved for her ability to deliver humourously hammy performances in a low-budget drama, she's also well-respected for her rare serious performances in better-received productions such as Noche de Matanza, a psychological thriller series.

Mictlan is also one of the biggest consumers of Konyang anime in the Spur besides Konyang itself. Bootleg merchandise of the anime is question is widespread, and it's even common for restaurant owners to paint murals of the characters on their walls for advertisement.

Edited January 20, 2023 by La Villa Strangiato

[Caelphon]

I will get back to you by the end of the day on this. 

[Caelphon]

Some of this is being accepted, and some of it will be tweaked.