Aztec Rai

Overview

Aztec is a seasoned combat veteran. Like many soldiers in the world of Draconis, he’s been genetically modified to be more effective on the battlefield. Aztec, specifically, was modified with gorilla and panther DNA to make him stronger and tougher than an ordinary human. He’s a demolitions expert and has a penchant for big guns.

While he’s physically huge and imposing, he’s got a big heart and a lot of empathy and emotional intelligence. He cares about family, and he includes Adam and the rest of the squad under that umbrella.

Aztec grew up poor on Earth, taking care of his sick mother, and as a result he became very attuned to taking care of other people.

Origin

Aztec and his sister, Tezca, grew up poor on Earth in an area referred to as “Greater South America,” which encompasses Mexico all the way to Argentina. When the twins’ ailing mother died, the two lied about their age to join the military and were separated.

Aztec was stationed on Mars, a mostly male planet dominated by corporate skirmishes, mining and real estate development. He was deployed to the Centauri system for several years during their conflict with the EDF.

Aztec’s Playlist

  1. The Refried Bean Secrets Mexican Restaurants Use – 3 Stages for Tacos, Tostadas & More
  2. How To Make Chile Colorado Burritos with Aaron Sanchez
  3. Ultimate Creamy Mac & Cheese Recipe – You Won’t Believe The Secret Ingredient!
  4. COWBOY BUTTER sauce on corn is a game changer! Mexican Street Corn Cowboy Butter Sauce Recipe
  5. Why this STEAK is better than Wagyu!
  6. How to Make Chile Crunch

Favorite Foods

In Draconis, the crew rotates cooking duties. Aztec is the star cook of the bunch and his taste is a combination of Mexican, South American and American Southern comfort food.

  • Enchiladas Suizas
  • Queso Fundido
  • Brisket Mac & Cheese
  • Posole
  • Birria Tacos
  • Wagyu Chili
  • Chilaquiles
  • Tamales

Author’s Note

Aztec is a guy who was written to be Adam’s righthand man. He’s reliable, competent, honest. The kind of guy who can be trusted and you know he’s gonna get the job done. There are a lot of different influences that went into Aztec and Tezca, and I thought of them as a package deal from the beginning.

The first thing that came to mind was Raijin and Fujin from Final Fantasy 8, and then Batou and Motoko from Ghost in the Shell. From there the two became more individualized. Aztec’s got a lot of Jackie from Cyberpunk 2077, Wakka from Final Fantasy 10, Salvador from Borderlands 2, to name a few influences that went into his conception. Personality-wise, Uncle Iroh from Avatar was another big influence.

I really wanted to play with this idea that in the future, genetic modification is prevalent. I think right now we envision a lot of technological modification, but I wanted to incorporate this more Island of Dr. Moreau and CRISPR style genetic modification, and I imagined that people in the military especially would have it done (or done to them) for the physical enhancements.

Aztec is not necessarily super deep like some of the other characters. He has depth, of course, but he’s more of a big hugs, getting the job done, cooking dinner for the family kind of person, not the type of person who’s harboring deep thoughts on the nature of the universe. The depth to Aztec comes more from his feelings, especially in terms of maybe some resentments that, because he’s such a caring and selfless individual, he doesn’t confront people about.

If he had a Myers-Briggs type, he’d probably be an ESFJ. There’s a guy on YouTube I found the other day named Brandon Herrera who kind of has Aztec vibes.