banner art by Michal Lisowski
Gale Crater City is a city on Mars. It is built in a crater and covered by a directed energy dome.
Figs Park is a sprawling expanse or ruined AstroTurf and looping bike trails. There is an enormous metal fence on one side that is just a graveyard of bicycles and padlocks, mementos locked forever to chain link as symbols of love, of longing, of lost youth and life.
A large operation located closer to the portion of the dome responsible for agriculture. It is an enormous operation specializing in breeding Yangtze Alligators and Nile Crocodiles for shows, consumption, and luxury leather goods. The same way kids beg their parents to feed koi fish, the popular activity here is to buy meat to launch for 200 chyen a pop into the enormous gator tanks to get them to jump and tear it apart. Attendees get the distinct impression the crime family that owns this place has no issue with intimidation given their sprawling property awash with carnivores. There is a kitschy gift shop selling merchandise for Gobek the croc and Maximo the alligator. It has shirts and keychains that say "I SURVIVED MY RUN IN WITH GOBEK!" and "BIGGEST LIZARD ON MARS".
Grobek the crocodile is 18 feet long and over 2000 pounds! He is the biggest crocodile on mars.
A famous tourist trap located just outside the entrance of New Falmouth. The building is a four story tower in the style of a pagoda, built of brick and stone. The entrance to the courtyard features high iron walls surrounding a lavish courtyard. There are fountains all around, some running and some empty. The bottoms of all of them have been painted with koi fish in vibrant shades of orange and black and red. There isnt a single real fish. Upon entry attendees are greeted by a hostess and a directory of floors.
The first floor is a "common" restaurant / pub crossover meant to entertain tourists. Known for its group of overly exuberant waitstaff often heard singing some dirtboy happy birthday.
The second floor is a sushi and sake bar. It is on this floor that a conveyor belt snakes between all the tables, laden with multicolored plates all sporting martian impressions of earth sushi. Kraut and mustard are often served as sides.
The third floor and roof are a nightclub called KOI with a red velvet rope and a long line creeping down the back stairwell and out of the building. The sign above the actual entrance to the nightclub is neon, a pink fan opening and then an orange fish with pink blush lines being illuminated behind it. This is in stark contrast to the holographic fish that fill the air of the club. They move with music. Enormous 3 foot long ones swim in lazy iridescent circles around the gogo dancers. Smaller, life sized koi drift in elegant arcs over the sweeping glass bar. The bar itself is actually a bunch of jars of various colored powders, herbs, and strange objects preserved in oil. All are labeled with single words or literal emojis. A mixologist will make patrtons something based on the things they like / dislike. They could make someone a tricked out drug cocktail. They could also brew someone an exceptional cup of tea and tell them a koun. There's an enormous sign over half the base liquids that say ALCOHOL and half that say NON - ALCHOHOLIC. The building is always packed with people of all ages.
There are big glass tanks full of glowing jelly fish floating unbothered by the thumping base. Theres an enormous sprawling bar on one side which appears to be made almost exclusively of defunct pinball machines. On the wall above the alcohol, mounted like a freshly killed spring buck, is the Curiosity Rover. This place is set up into quadrants:
Quadrant A is the bar.
Quadrant B is the cages where people fight somewhat anthropomorphic battle bots to their screaming metal death.
Quadrant C is an area for VR games and Matrix junkies that looks like an opium den, with goggle wearing jacked in junkies slumped over one another in couches and chairs.
Quadrant D is the classic arcade area, full of plastic guns and fake motorcycles and claw machines full of stuffed animals, v202, ect. This area features the enormous JAWZ machine with a sign that reads: are you feeling lucky CHUM?
A lesser known, but locally famous izakaya. It is in all ways superior to the Lucky Little Fish, and is owned by an elderly thai/ filipino woman named Malee. It has a small menu, and a propped open basement door with a sign just reading TATTOO above it.
In the basement of the best restaurant in gale crater, the Muddy Dragons owner and her son tattoo. The gray concrete floor has been covered over with black and white tile that has long since been cracked and stained with ink. The bare bulbs dangle from hooks and extension cords from the ceiling. All around, flash sheets are taped to the walls with names written at the top.
You can rent grav sleds and grav skis here and hit the slopes. There are food vendors at the base of the mountain.
Fine dining, corporate HQ for PRI on Mars, R&D.
Not a hotel. A cybernetics clinic run by the best ripper doc in Gale Crater, at least according to local guides.
The oldest open air market on Mars. Modeled after Onitsha market in Africa.
A city-wide famous gambling den. Featuring Craps, Cards, Roulette, Gatcha, Judges & Mixers
Before the game starts, each gambler may place a bid, either matching the highest current bid or raising, those that don't match the highest bid must sit the game out.
Martian Cuisine in general is a mishmash mixup of fusion that would considered controversial on earth. Popular and widely used condiments are: kimchi, sauerkraut, pickled ginger, wasabi, and Creamed Krab. Sour candies are the most popular, though Salmiakki or "salty licorice" is another popular treat. Most dessert menus feature at least one spicy item. An example might be Mace, balls of deep fried spicy ice cream sold most around the parks and baseball fields. Another more high end might be an Ube roll cake with hot ginger frosting.
A popular menu item is mandugumbo, which appears to be a beautiful marriage between korean dumplings / buns and old fashioned cajun gumbo. Another would be "mock hare" which is essentially meatloaf wrapped in bacon, sliced and served with a variety of sauces and jams.
A popular item for street carts is kielbasa stuffed with cheese and pickled plum. Another is Kartoflur, or caramelized potatoes, which is spooned out of silver hot bars into little paper trays and eaten with chopsticks.
The majority of bread dishes are dark, rye or rye adjacent breads. Sandwiches are served open face, and accompanied with fried okra instead of fries.
On Mars, the coolest thing you can be is from space.
Slang: dirtboy = earther, gek / zot = synonymous with baka (idiot, fool), massy = candy / drugs / cigarettes, barri = bar, heavy = bad / unlucky, dusty = martian
Gale Craters biggest luxury export is their crocodile skin goods, which are a symbol of decadence and luxury across the red world. Belts, wallets, watches, phone cases, boots, gun holsters and hat bands. You name it, it comes in croc skin.
The fashion aesthetic leans towards southwestern meets korean and japanese street fashion.
The majority of people of course are more preoccupied with making a living and are dressed like a cross between a farm hand and a lunchbox toting townie construction worker. But even these folks might have a snake skin decal on their hard hat or simulated gator work boots.
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