Sandbox-Scarcity:BieselCulture

Societal Attitudes

Before its independence, Tau Ceti was a mostly self-governing territory of the Sol Alliance, though early on, many citizens directly experienced the Alliance’s ineffectual administration and backwards approach to colonial affairs, oppressing any dissent with extreme prejudice. a. Its inadequate response to the Second Great Depression was the catalyst to the long road to independence for Biesel, as well as the beginning of the anti-Solarian sentiment within its populace. After the discovery of phoron, the system rapidly became wealthier than the Sol system itself, owing much of this to the Phoron discovered within the Romanovich Cloud yet had nowhere near the same influence, creating a feeling of inequality. These feelings only continued to mount as Tau Ceti felt it was being held back from greater prosperity by the Alliance’s inefficiency, even after it all but gave the system to NanoTrasen. It would come to a head in 2452, with. Anti-Solarian views running high, NanoTrasen twisted the arm of the Alliance into allowing the system’s full independence. For most Biesellites though, they have the view Alliance would have put all the pain of the recession on the system, as it was one of the only prosperous ones at the time. This anti-solarian sentiment never went away, continuing to grow with each hostile act by Unity Station, reaching its all-time high in 2462 after two failed invasions by ‘rogue’ admirals commanding the Alliance’s excessively large fleets. As a result, many reject "Solarian" entertainment, literature and ideologies that stray toward anything pro-Solarian, with more patriotic citizens of the Republic going so far as to organise informal boycotts to further push for suppression or even banning of these "Solarian" commodities and notions.

Many say the culture and patriotism of the Republic of Biesel is something astroturfed, or faked, that it’s such a young republic, it’s not even real yet. However, this young republic has lived through so much in a short span - from two Solarian invasions to disasters of all kinds, and has preserved. That kind of experience, nationally, gives a sense of shared common bond and unity, even love, for one's community, in this case, a nation. The Republic has since developed a culture that enshrines individualism alongside its other core principles, resulting in it becoming one of the Republic’s highest-regarded tenets. The notion of a fully independent Republic, free from outside influences, further evolved to include individual freedoms; reinforcing the idea that the Republic of Biesel should take a laissez-faire approach to the economy, and minimise its role in regulating the life of its citizens - an idea that is considered embodied within the Constitution of the Republic. Many citizens strive to uphold the concept of a "truly free Republic” — although conveniently these same citizens do not consider corporate influence on the Republic as detrimental to keeping it free.

Combined with this individualistic attitude, there is a growing sense of duty among Biesellites to exist as protectors of freedom and keep the Republic alive. Having faced two separate massive invasions, one of which by a fascistic admiral who would go on to become prime minister of the Alliance that occupied the nation for months, alongside a host of other incidents such as the Liidra Invasion and similar, it is easy to see where this sentiment comes from. The Republic has struggled all its life, but it “fights to keep the light of liberty shining in the face of all those that wish to extinguish it”. Recently, this has become quite literal, as members of the military are upheld as paragons by many - the crimes and war on Mictlan already slipping out of the public consciousness. Furthermore, the duty to protect the Republic’s ideal is critical and exists even as the Republic of Biesel incorporates the secondary states or the Corporate Reconstruction Zone. The Tau Ceti Armed Forces, and formerly the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, are marketed to migrants as a way of acquiring citizenship, and, more recently in the face of the scarcity, a stable job with good pay - which has seen enlistment numbers shoot up across species lines. Patriotism is common among born-Biesellites, an instilled sense of duty taught at an early age, and then reinforced by the Solarian Invasions and other disasters the Republic has faced. In the Tau Ceti context, these ideals often find themselves congruent with the wishes of the megacorporations, a convenience that is oftentimes highlighted by academics outside of the Republic of Biesel - but not always, most notably with the Peacekeeper Mandate and election of Ake Torvald - Biesel may be a facade democracy in many ways, but it’s still a democracy to an extent.

Despite the controversies generated by corporate involvement in the Republic of Biesel, they are ultimately received particularly well by its citizens. Most of the services provided by the State in other independent nations find themselves privatised — the responsibilities are passed on to the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate as they render the services, further reinforcing their stranglehold on the fledgling Republic. Regardless, the Conglomerate performs its duties well, further reinforcing the doctored image of its necessity and the overall pro-corporate sentiment among Biesellites. However this view is slowly starting to shift - as the economic ramifications of the scarcity continue to ratchet upwards, many are placing the blame on the corporations, more specifically, one corporation and one woman; NanoTrasen and its CEO Miranda Trasen. Mass anti-corporate sentiment hasn’t broken out amongst the populace, and likely never will, but there is certainly a noticeable change in the perception of NanoTrasen specifically - no longer supportive no matter what, and a bit more critical.

Immigrants exposed to the Biesellite culture have differing views on it, with humans from the Solarian Alliance or Coalition finding it easier to acclimate by virtue of the Republic being a human nation with human ideas not entirely foreign to them. Most non-humans who come to the Republic will find themselves experiencing a severe form of culture shock in comparison, as a result of being exposed to a completely foreign culture. Stereotypes popularly held by citizens of the Republic, such as Unathi being violent, Skrell from the Federation being socially inept, or Dominians being snobbish royals can be attributed to immigrants trying to interact with a culture that is different from the one they came from. Although the Republic and the Megacorporations encourage taking part in courses for immigrants and citizens alike to prevent these stereotypes from proliferating, animosity and prejudice between the two groups continue to be rife in the average Biesel workplace.

The Republic of Biesel has established support networks intending to assist those who have just arrived in Tau Ceti. Through the megacorporations other resources are made available to facilitate the integration of immigrants into the Republic of Biesel; these groups are usually segregated by background, with immigrants being referred to support networks that consist of their own species or nation, linking them to pre-existing communities that will be able to handle the bulk of the work required to integrate them into the Republic. Oftentimes, these pre-existing communities have their destitute status reinforced as these expatriates continue to arrive, with the Republic of Biesel funneling them. Examples of these communities are Tajara within District Six and Trinary Perfection having a heavy presence in The Scrapheap. The Armed Forces are also used as a tool to better integrate migrants to the Republic, enforcing mixed units that force volunteers to serve alongside other species and cultures that are not their own. This is only further enforced by the amount of aliens in positions of authority now within the TCAF - low level officers, NCOs, drill instructors and similar are now a majority alien, rather than human. It is believed that exposure to new cultures and ideas along with the camaraderie that comes with military service, would replace existing beliefs with ones more compatible with the Republic of Biesel and its philosophy.

Arts and Mass Media

Notable Literature

Literature in the Republic of Biesel is rarely regulated, and almost anything is written can find itself proliferated. What little is regulated typically is comprised of publications that are associated with radical anti-corporate elements, viciously hunted down by those within the Conglomerate and promptly “restricted” within the Republic of Biesel. Possession of these restricted publications oftentimes results in harsher punitive corporate sanctions should those hoarding them be proven to have ideals that align with the seditious, radical notions within these anti-corporate writings.

• The Man Who Sold the World: Published as a holobook in 2449 by Ingi Usang Entertainment Company, Xavier Trasen’s autobiography (composed as a mixture of both his own anecdotes and holovid recordings) was written during his time as the Orion Spur’s wealthiest individual — leading NanoTrasen from its origin on Mars, to a megacorporation that soared higher than any other before it. It is one of the most sold books within the Republic of Biesel and continues to bring in revenue for the NanoTrasen subsidiary.

• The Corporate Revolution: A “restricted” publication within the Republic of Biesel, the Corporate Revolution contains within it anti-corporate ideals, with an emphasis on the compounding issues created by the reliance on Megacorporations within both Tau Ceti and the greater Orion Spur. Despite its status as a prohibited text, the Tau Ceti Revolution is easy to gain access to outside of the Republic of Biesel, with most of its copies being sold on Himeo — and promptly smuggled into the Republic. Self-published in 2456 by a Himean-descended Biesellite, Juuso Palander, who died following a freak accident relating to a malfunctioning NanoTrasen Personal Digital Assistant device.

• The Unsustainable Market: A “restricted” publication within the Republic of Biesel, The Unsustainable Market is a summary, including several research papers, about how the mining practices of NanoTrasen within the Romanavich Cloud were unsustainable, and would eventually lead to the depletion of phoron and all that had been built off of it. The author is unknown, but it is suspected to be written by multiple seperate people, given how the style of writing changes from chapter to chapter. It is barely known outside of academic circles, being published and then restricted with little to no fanfare - and never brought up again. It is so forgotten, it is unknown if any complete copies still exist.

• Song Boy: Written in 2456 by a New Hai Phongese immigrant, Song Boy follows the life of its author Kraisingha Saeli as his family leaves behind Cua Song and Kraisingha’s beloved Tinh Than Block. Much of the book deals with the culture shock and how it impacts Kraisingha’s family. Over time the Saeli family begin to adjust to Tau Ceti life by adopting some of the cultures and finding new niches and interests in Cape City. In particular, some focus is given to Kraisingha’s older sister who at first is infuriated with how corporate Tau Ceti is. Kraisingha shares this opinion at first but the two eventually come to peace with the corporations as they begin to enjoy the benefits that they bring. The novel's name comes from a nickname Kraisingha gets from classmates in school. The book was popular on release and has become part of the curriculum for Tau Cetian schools.

Notable Television

• Rock It!: Started in 2435 and now running continuously for decades, Rock It! is a comedy skit show featuring celebrity guests. It alternates between skits, stand up, guest interviews and bands. Its long run is owed to a revolving door of comedians and its willingness to satirize matters of the day. The show’s run is split up by fans into what they dub “Eras” with the leading producer usually defining them. The first era is Joan Renard’s era. This was characterized by a low-cost production as the show just began, reliance solely on skits and guest comedians, and is considered by most fans to be the best era with its aged content being the main detriment. 2447 to 2458 was the Zan Kellard era that transformed Rock It! into the modern media powerhouse it is today. Kellard had brought on celebrity guests, greatly expanded the roster of show workers and writers, and invested heavily into better sets. Unfortunately, Kellard would later die during Frost’s Invasion. It is a 64tan-based conspiracy theory that he was killed by Solarian Marines despite the official cause of death being a brain aneurysm. Since then Rock It! has enjoyed great success and spread under Deven Paraiyar, a former Idris showrunner who later brought Rock It! under Idris Incorporated’s ownership. The viewership numbers in the billions and spread across Sol, Elyra, and Tau Ceti. Much of its content currently focuses on satirizing the chaos of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone and Solarian Wildlands with a pro-SCC bent.

• De Rosa Nights: De Rosa Nights is one of Biesel’s most popular dramas. The series centres around a group of Human and Skrell cadets in the Mendell City Police Academy who grow close to one another, graduate into the same precinct in Vega De Rosa and begin to grow apart as they struggle with their own issues and the crime on the streets. Eventually, the officers go on to become detectives, SWAT officers, or even sergeants and lieutenants. The series began in 2452 shortly after Biesellian independence and has been lauded for centring seasons around real-life issues and concerns in Tau Ceti. This has earned it some criticism from those who believe De Rosa Nights unfairly depicts Tajaran smugglers as being obsessed with explosives, Unathi hitmen as being utterly bloodthirsty and amoral, and how it heavily leans into anti-Vaurcae attitudes. The recent season centring around the attempted bombing of the Starlight Zone famously led to a long-working actor, Juux’xi Ooz departing the show as they felt that the show’s direction was leading it to become careless in how it deals with its subject matter.

• METAL CRUSHERS!: A professional “exomechanical” wrestling promotion, mainly performing shows involving Exosuits and Hardsuit fights. While created in 2435 by a dozen like-minded individuals, the franchise truly met success after its acquisition by Zavodskoi Interstellar in 2438, and contracted Ingi Usang Entertainment Company to start airing its shows in 2446, being where the franchise finds most of its viewers despite their website hosting records of all of their fights and shows. Ever since, METAL CRUSHERS! has been gaining more notoriety, with its founder acting as a host for most of the bigger shows, Frederick Marksman, a loud, cheerful man who happens to be constantly over-excited about exosuits fighting in an arena, at least in front of cameras. As one of the first exomechanical wrestling promotions, METAL CRUSHERS! has been a pioneer in the field for better or for worse, with some tragic events nearly ending the whole franchise on several occasions. Many new promotions have been formed throughout the Spur, trying to achieve the same success as METAL CRUSHERS! One example is BENT STEEL, a Solarian imitation.

Debates as to how much of METAL CRUSHERS! is still controlled by Marksman are ongoing, with the founder making allusions to Zavodskoi leadership. However, it is generally assumed that he still has enough influence on the creative end. METAL CRUSHERS! holds a championship every year all over Biesel, where the best teams and pilots of the Spur clash for a title in their respective leagues, Hardsuit or Exosuit, team fights or duels.

Notable Video Games

• Foreign Legionnaire: Heroes of Tau Ceti: Foreign Legionnaire is a first-person shooter set during the declaration of independence of Tau Ceti that postulates a “what if?” scenario where the Sol Alliance invaded the Republic of Biesel rather than letting it go free. The player takes control of a volunteer of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, which has hastily formed in response to the Solarian invasion. While the campaign has been hailed by Republican media for its story of a brave, ultimately hopeless stand against the Alliance, the real draw of Foreign Legionnaire is undoubtedly the multiplayer: players fight massive battles in locations across Tau Ceti as either a member of the Alliance or the Republic using a variety of guns and vehicles. Order your copy today and receive the Tajara Legionnaire DLC for free!
• Witchfire: Witchfire is regarded as a surprisingly well-written, well-produced CRPG developed by an independent studio, Cracked Gear Group. While CGG is ostensibly independent, the founder and the developers have admitted much of their funding for Witchfire came from NanoTrasen's entertainment division. The game takes place in the fantasy world of Kelleria, where the eponymous Witchfires, the source of all magic, are starting to extinguish, causing natural disasters and the slow fading of magic. The player can choose between two main factions; the Weavers or the Wayfinders. While the Weavers wish to find a way to reignite the Witchfires, the Wayfinders are industrialists who believe the peoples of Kelleria must move on using technology and cannot rely on the Witchfires forever. The game is notable for featuring not just humans, but fantasy counterparts of Skrell, Unathi, Tajara, Vaurca, and Dionae. It was widely praised for these original depictions of fantasized alien races, though the game was mildly controversial among the K'lax and C'thur hives for only featuring Vaurca in the carapace shades of the Zo'ra Hive.

Fashion

Biesellite fashion trends focus on individuality. Much of it it doesn’t conform to the general trends that exist within the Orion Spur and is largely its own style — Biesellite Classic — with divisions of Caishen Jewellers and Le Soleil Royal specifically devoting time and effort in order to cater to the market presence within the Republic of Biesel. Flared trousers, halter tops, bell bottoms, sweater vests and pleated pants are all commonly sighted within Biesellite Classicism. Accessories made of wood, stones, feathers and beads do remarkably well within the Republic, according to Caishen Jewellers. Certain aspects of non-human fashion have been incorporated into Biesellite Classicism, creating new subsets of the fashion trend. This is doubly true for non-humans who combine their own cultural fashion with choice pieces popular in the Republic.

Notable Cuisine

Original Biesellite cuisine has its roots in many old-Earth cultures, mainly in continental Europe, but influences from central Asia, Africa, and North and South America can also be seen. With each new species that made first contact with humanity, however, a noticeable impact on Biesellite food culture was made. It is common to see Humans enjoying a more ‘human’ take on alien foods, with popular choices being Skrell or Unathi dishes having their flavour profiles replicated using more local ingredients. Tajaran cuisine is also quite popular, with most Adhomian exports being sent to the Republic of Biesel; for the most part, however, "genuine" Tajaran cuisine using authentic Adhomian ingredients can only be found in Little Adhomai.

• Xuizi Rissoto: A dish heavily inspired by what can be found in an old-Earth culture from continental Europe, with a notable Moghesian influence replacing the wine acidity instead with that sweetness of Xuizi juice. It gained traction after Unathi migrants fleeing the Contact War found themselves within the Republic of Biesel, without any of their native flora or fauna nearby.

• Getmore Corporation Candy: NanoTrasen’s dominance of Tau Ceti has resulted in its subsidiary’s status as a staple provider of prepackaged foods, most notably Getmore Corporation’s candy bars. They are commonly found in the vending machines on either space stations or interstellar ships - and easily within the cabins of their crew, thanks to its relative cheapness.

• V’krexi Wrap: Shortly after the Vaurca arrived to Tau Ceti, some Zo’ra Hive Workers were desperate to adapt to the new society and its economical system. As a result, after learning of human street food, Ka’Akaix’Grilk Zo’ra, a Queenless Vaurca, decided to experiment with a flavour that would entice humans. The V’krexi wrap is similar to a dürüm or a burrito, usually filled with fresh vegetables and meat. However, a special sauce is used, which is made from a special gland found in the V’krexi, known for its exotic flavour. Although not dangerous to other species, the dish has been criticized after the mycosis outbursts caused by illegal k’ois farms. The V’krexi wrap remains unregulated and has attracted other species to sell their own versions, with unique speciality sauces and ingredients. Newer recipes developed by Vaurca vendors mix different flavours from other cultures, sometimes unsuccessfully.

Architecture

Notable Monuments

• Monument to Independence: This monument consists of two parts. The main part of the statue is a large hollow brass globe representing Biesel, containing a constantly burning torch in its centre to represent the beacon of liberty that Biesel is meant to represent. Atop of the globe is the famous ‘Masked Legionnaire’, a statue made separate from the globe and added on after the fact once the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion was founded. The Masked Legionnaire is a bronze statue of a fully armoured, nondescript Tau Ceti Foreign Legionnaire meant to represent all volunteers who have served in the Legion, and is notable for being designed in such a way that the viewer is unable to fully determine the race or gender of the legionnaire, allowing it to be representative of all legionnaires formerly or currently in service. The Monument to Independence can be found in front of the Capitol building within District One.

• Freedom: Representing the Republic’s acceptance and inclusivity, regardless of species or origin, the Freedom effigy portrays a sense of duty, placing emphasis on upholding the Republic of Biesel’s interests and those willing to fight for its ideals. It depicts both a Human and a Skrell, shaking their hands, in front of a burning torch alongside the Republic of Biesel’s flag. The flag has a Dionae Nymph on its mast, with a Unathi, Vaurca and Tajara at the base of the torch. The statue is unique in that it is frequently moved around the different cities of Biesel. Currently, it is displayed in Belle Cote as part of an exhibition on xeno-human history at one of its museums.

• Immigration Museum: Opened in 2460, the Museum of Immigration is an institution dedicated to the history of the alien immigrants in Tau Ceti. The museum has wings containing artefacts and testimonies related to every species who moved to Biesel. The building's outside is made in the traditional biesellite style, while the sections use the alien architecture they represent. Civilians and governments have donated items to its exhibitions.