Miridome

Miridome is known as the worst city in blue and the world. It ranks last in all quality of life metrics and is sanctioned by every national government. It has the least secure elections in the world, according to a report by the Blue Human Rights League (BHRL). The most thriving aspects of its economy are found in the black market.

## Geography and Climate

Miridome is filled with steep hills, with very few flat spaces for roads. Snowfall is common, with weather forecasts commonly predicting 9 feet of it at minimum. Avalanches are common and hundreds are killed every year by them. Miridome is far from most water sources, forcing residents to avoid boiled foods or other water heavy meals. Miridome is home to many termites, which frequently detonate in cold weather. Miridome hosts a festival during the winter months to commemorate the exploding termites in what is called "The Great Homeowner Trolling". Temperatures are unpredictable, reaching highs of 135 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and lows of -17 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter.

## Government

The Government of Miridome is a representative democracy, although a report by the BHRL found that not a single Miridome election has been untampered in 60 years. The report also found that 98% of Miridome officials have embezzled money from the government.

#### The Bitcher and the Military Coup

In order to quell dissent among the people, the government of Miridome created the government position of "Bitcher", who complains to the government on behalf of the people. Ronald Smith II was the first to be elected to the position, but was quickly killed and replaced in a military coup several months later, with theories circulating that he was executed via firing squad. The Government of Miridome states that he died while having sex instead of by firing squad, with Mayor Michel “The Gulper” Rintegun saying that he “died from pleasure. The BHRL stated that Ronald Smith II was the only government official to be found not embezzling when it's report was released and gone on further to say that it is safe to assume that the embezzlement rate has reached 100%.

## Economy

Due to being banned by the national government from using the Pari, the official currency of Miridome is the Rictum (nicknamed the Rectum for “being the shittiest currency”). One Pari is worth approximately 67 Rictums, and due to low wages across the city (averaging 4 Rictums an hour) residents cannot afford to move out of the city.

Due to sanctions, the most profitable industries can only be found in the black market. Researchers estimate that the largest black market industries are Horse supplies (160,000 Pari yearly, or 10,720,000 Rictum), Firearms (603,000 Pari yearly, or 40,401,000 Rictum), and human organs (1,200,000 Pari yearly, or 80,400,000 Rictum). Legally, the only thing the city can sell in the international marketplace is wood. This has led to extreme deforestation and has caused a shortage of wood to sell to the world, resulting in the Miridome industry shrinking to only 12,700 Pari a year (850,900 Rictum). Due to most of the jobs being in the lumber industry, Miridome now has an unemployment rate of 43%.

### The Miridomian Poisoning

In an attempt to reduce the high unemployment rate, Miridome has tried to utilize the oil rich island of Spherorita, in the areas just outside World’s Edge. Employment was slightly boosted under the program while costing companies very little due to effectively nonexistent regulations. Miridome extracted oil from the Island until the Miridomian Poisoning, in which 9 oil tankers sank on their way back to Miridome in a period of 7 weeks, dumping over 4 thousand barrels of oil and killing an estimated 35% of all sealife within a 50 mile radius of World’s Edge. Anti-Miridome Oil protests began around the world, growing even louder after a report leaked that 19,347 oil workers died (excluding the 152 that died in the sinking oil tankers) due to a lack of regulation. The world responded by sanctioning Miridomian Oil, killing the industry.

## Culture and Cuisine

### Cuisine

Cuisine in Miridome revolves around local flora and animals, of which there are few. Despite this, Miridome has managed to have numerous unique foods and beverages, largely made with black market items such as beef, paprika, citruses, and more. Local restaurants have found success using the local spice known as Lover's Spice. which comes from the local Lover's Pepper.

Lover's Pepper was discovered in 1034 AB by Wilhelm Ocren as part of an expedition to distract himself from his separation from his first wife. It's a fruit known for its vibrant blue-purple gradient and its extremely spicy flavor. Preparing the Lover's Pepper requires removing all of the purple parts of the gradient, as the purple color is the result of the buildup of poisonous juice. The Pepper is then air dried for one week. Once it is completely dry, the seeds are extracted from the blue parts of the pepper, which is then ground into spice. The remaining flesh of the fruit is extremely bitter, and is usually discarded as a result.

#### The Boiler

The Boiler is a alcoholic beverage that's become a staple of Miridome's bars. It is a favorite of those who like high amounts of spice and a hint of a tangy flavor. Commonly made with Lemon Juice, Moonshine, Salt, and Lover's Spice, the Boiler is known for its extreme levels of spiciness and high alcohol content. There is no set standard for the quantities of each ingredient, which has led to many bars using either heavy amounts of Moonshine or heavy amounts of Lover's Spice when making Boilers for customers, with disliked customers receiving a Boiler with heavy amounts of salt and lemon juice.

#### Dead Man's Fries

Blank Fries, more commonly known as Dead Man's Fries, are a snack item made by frying Sparkling worms, a long species of worm known to shoot hot acid when endangered, alive in hot oil and seasoning it with salt, Lover's Pepper, and Cheese sauce. The snack was originally named Blank Fries due to the fact that the acid would be removed from the worms, making them "the worm equivalent of blank bullets". They become more popularly known as Dead Man's Fries as the average vendor became less focused on draining the acid, eventually ceasing the practice entirely. Out of the 340,000 recorded sales of Dead Man's Fries recorded in 1196 AB, 140 people have died due to the acid with another 4880 sustaining life threatening injuries. The government of Miridome does not record data for less serious injuries due to the fries, and the data that they have recorded has been disputed by the BHRL.