#ideology of empire

[chamerionwrites]

Intellectually I understand where people are coming from, but personally I do THE biggest double take every time someone boils down conservative Christian ideology (and/or secularized cultural reflections thereof) to a kind of dour puritanism that proclaims happiness is sin/suffering is a moral good/everyone should be miserable all the time. Like I get it! I do. But also, institutionally, I have never met a group of more passionate worshippers and vicious defenders of their own comfort than evangelical Christians. There is a reason the common thread between my various weird triggers more or less boils down to "toxic positivity." There is a REASON my exvangelical tag is #walking away from omelas.

[taudad]

Blocked and reported

[musical-chick-13]

Like. The last thing I'm going to say is that I see a lot of comments about how "Well Americans probably deserve whatever is coming to them" because [some variation of how we are all equally violent and stupid and of course we elected this guy] and I will be the FIRST one to go, "Fuck America for real, I hate it here" but. There are in fact millions of people who did not want this. Who actively fought against it and will continue to do so.

BELIEVE ME, I understand the impulse to go, "Well with all the shit America has done to the rest of the world, why should I feel bad for them." I understand that compassion fatigue is real. And I DEFINITELY don't think it's the rest of the world's job to fight my battles for me or prioritize my feelings above anyone else's.

But if people are worried for their safety. If they're scared. If they're wondering how they and the people they love are going to survive the next few years. If people are feeling despair and despondence over the fact that they are stuck in an absolutely hellish landscape they did not ask for. Just...please let them have that. You don't have to tell them that you think they deserve it.

[bijoumikhawal]

*sees a long post from an American comparing Cardassia to the USSR/China* *rolls eyes and keeps scrolling*

[thegreatyin]

honestly all things considered, the scoundrel has very mixed feelings on the empire of hands. not because of the soul stealing thing. because of the aspiring to become human thing

[wishesofeternity]

"Antiochos’ and Stratonike’s activities in the eastern part of the [Seleukid] empire are largely shrouded in mystery, but, as Engels has argued, Antiochos was far from idle since he embarked on a large building programme and was active in securing the frontier. There is some evidence to suggest that his new bride accompanied him for much of this period. We can perhaps identify Stratonike’s presence with her new husband in the Upper Satrapies through the gold coinage minted in Susa and Baktria in c . 287. The two gold coin sets are of the same type, the obverse features the laureate head of Apollo facing right and the reverse features Artemis in an elephant biga facing left with the legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ in exergue.

Figure 1: Coin of Seleukos I from Baktria Depicting Apollo on the Obverse and Artemis with Elephant Biga on the Reverse (Houghton and Lorber 2002, SC I no. 163).

Figure 2: Coin of Seleukos I from Baktria Depicting Apollo on the Obverse and Artemis with Elephant Biga on the Reverse (Houghton and Lorber 2002, SC I no. 257).

The reverse image of Artemis in the elephant biga is within the same design type as a large range of other coinage issued by Seleukos I celebrating the success of his elephants and thus his eastern campaigns. The appearance of Artemis is however unique to these coin types. This suggests the emphasis on the close links between the twin gods, Artemis and Apollo, depicted on the obverse and reverse of this coinage . Since there appears to be as a close link between Apollo and Antiochos as there is between Zeus and Seleukos, the presence of Artemis could be seen as a symbol for Stratonike. This would create a series of parallels: Seleukos/Zeus, Antiochos/Apollo, and Stratonike/Artemis. The first two reflect what we see for these two kings at the list of priests of Seleukid kings in Seleukeia in Pieria . Additionally, it may be notable that the sister-wife ideology [...] appears to be evident later in the reign of Antiochos.

As all of the Apollo/Artemis cointypes were produced on high value gold coinage, this suggests that it was issued in order to commemorate a significant event. While the type was similar to other Seleukid coinage, the shift from Athena to Artemis was clearly discernible and unique. The arrival of the new joint-King and Queen in the region to take up residence would have been a suitable moment for the issuing of the new coin type. This advertisement of their new rule certainly falls in line with Seleukos’ wedding speech which confirmed their new roles."

-David Engels & Kyle Erickson, "Apama and Stratonike – Marriage and Legitimacy", "Seleukid Royal Women" (edited by Edited by Altay Coşkun and Alex McAuley). The pictures of the coins are screenshots from the book.

[pushing500]

Barghest has acquired an unfortunate new personality trait thanks to his flu but has still decided that Candlelight is his best friend despite the fact that she has the audacity to be female.

When I opened the Ancient Danger on my map, a bunch of very old and disoriented ancients were released from cryptosleep caskets. They did not elect to join my colony, which was fine, but they also didn't leave. They stuck around and annoyed my colonists by wandering into their bedrooms at night, swiping food from the freezer, and going to sleep in the gateways of the animal pens so the ducks, boomalopes, and devilsheep could escape.

I didn't do anything about it because I still held out hope that they would eventually just wander off the map. However, the short-faced bear I rescued from an animal transport pod crash had other ideas. The bear, who is named Echo, has apparently been killing and eating the ancients while I've been distracted. I guess she doesn't like kibble. Ah, well, it solved the problem, and I appreciate her efforts.

I think Kaz appreciates the effort that went into a legendary quality monument bearing his likeness, even if he pretends to be embarrassed about it.

Baby Child Andy is having the time of his life. Mum is teaching him how to shoot, he is allowed to go for "nature walks" amongst the herd of wild triceratopses at the veeeery edge of the map (it scares me every time he does it), he can ride the thrumbos around like a little king, and our honoured guests even make an effort to chat to him while he draws on the floor.

Speaking of our guests, they are from The Green Empire, the faction Connie was originally from. This means that they all believe in the "men should wear hats" ideology that Connie believes in. They have never been without a very embarrassed blush and a mood debuff for being "exposed" while they're in my colony.

They all have hats, they just take them off while they're visiting despite their own discomfort. It amuses me.

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[soubdfox]

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[milder-manners]

How does the End Empire treat his conquered subjects ? Are they annihilated, forced to move and be replaced by End inhabitants, are they relegated to second-zone subjects... ? - yes this is a blabant ask to know what happened to the residual survivors of DeepHeart -. But I'm also intrigued to know the End's politics about their numerous victories.

What happens to conquered regions is honestly a case by case basis. It depends on how they plan to profit from the land. If there's a huge iron deposit/other resource that they wanted, then they'd probably leave the government and people of the annexed region alone (if they behave, they'd kill anyone who'd revolt to send their point across) and just have a sizable military occupy the cities. If they conquered a land for a strategic trade route, they'd want a lot of their own people to move into that land. In that case, they'd get rid of the original government, appoint their own officials, judges, whatnot to encourage as much as their own people to move in. And a lot of them do! Because they get the bonus of being treated better than the original people, it's basically guaranteed that they'd be the top in the economy. There's never any official laws that discriminate against the original people, but a lot of their land would be taken away after the annexation and judges would favor the Empire people. Also the occupying military holds a lot of biases.

The Endall Empire rarely ever wipes out the original population, or even kicks them out. The benefits of getting rid of them is extremely meager compared to the benefits of letting them stay.

Deepheart was an extremely rare case. The Empire didn't march to the Ancient City to conquer for resources or land, but to eliminate a threat. The city declared war on them, and then refused to yield when they were at the Empire's mercy. Anyone who survived the burning of Deepheart was left alone. They didn't take any prisoners.

[thesovereignsring-if]

How and why would anyone support or join the MC's faction if they're basically useless? Aren't mc and Thea the same age and they can't reach the same lvl as her, would be stupid to support mc when better options are out there. Makes me wonder if the mc is just slow if they can't master whatever skill they go after, I'm not even into power fantasy or op characters and I'm not even trying to disrespect you I'm genuinely curious. So sorry if this message comes out looking disrespectful

This is going to be hard to answer without some spoilers, but i will try my best.

Thea is a craftier negotiator because her circumstances and her environment is drastically different than the MC. When we meet her again, we'll see exactly how that environment has shaped her and how she handles things.

A lot of the MC's inadequacies are simply the result of lack of experience, being young and being raised in a safe, controlled and loving environment.

Now to answer your first question, why do people most follow political leaders to begin with?

Because they promise change from the status quo.

It doesn't matter is they are most skilled or the most powerful. The Empire rife with conflict internally and externally. There are groups of people who are in desperate need of change and will rally behind anyone who can promise change. What is the best swordsmen/wizard against an army? What good is a negotiator if they cannot promise what the people want?

The MC is in a special spot simply because they are in a position to enact meaningful change. (Change, that other claimants may not promise) And that alone is more valuable than anything to those who need it.

What the MC cannot make up with pure strength, skill, wit, they can more than make up with conviction, determination and promise.

[gracelandmp3]

been going through the temeraire books like stupid fast tbh i’m almost embarrassed by it . hello i started these books on like wednesday and now i’m loading up book 5 to start the audiobook for my falling asleep noise

[royalreef]

@infernalpursuit inquired: is there anything from your muse's canon you can't stand? be it something involving your muse or their source material?

(( I hate the stupid Miranda-gets-arranged-to-marry-Damien-and-or-Dahlia plotline, I hate it so much, sincerely just wanting this fucking series to be normal about Miranda even ONCE, no one wanted this, you could have played up a ship between Miranda and Damien or Miranda and Dahlia in a thousand different ways and you picked having their parents forcibly arrange them to get married while Miranda protests. All of that complaining and bitching and being so dramatic hating on Miranda for having such a strict idea that she has to be arranged and married to someone and you crumple and do the exact same thing while Miranda wants absolutely anything other than that. You make me feel ashamed to still be into this damn series.

[rawliverandcigarettes]

One of my big problems with The Empire of Preys is, without spoiling the details, that the crux of the conflict, the Thing on which everything else rests is.... horrifyingly mundane. It's basically just a case of cold maintenance of power and imperial pettiness. It's not particularly mind-blowing revelatory stuff; it's just kind of logical and mean in a way where it's hard to blame anyone really.

The problem is: because of this, I always had a hard time conveying that casual violence with the dramatic weight necessary to carry the energy of the rest of the story. In a way, it's almost... disappointing? It feels like it should be a huge conspiration, but tbh, it's probably something many niche journalists are already covering in-universe, a known problem for anyone with two analytic braincells living in the Milky Way at that particular moment in time. And so, for something so impersonal and systemic to be the dynamite that risks the lives and livelihood of so many characters in this story, I need to do such a good job of conveying the reach and the interconnection and the impact of everything, and it's *hard*.

I used to have the same issue back when this particular plot point was revealed in Halfway Home's first draft; knowing I would need much more time and a larger frame of reference to articulate and argument this specific point, I pushed the revelation to The Empire of Preys (very correct choice imo: Shlee is just kind of too uhh stupid and checked out of the real world to care). But now I face the same exact problem, except in a different setting.

I hope the consequences of that crux will be enough to solidify why the Problem is such a vicious one with such overreaching consequences on everyone's lives, but.... I hope it will be enough honestly. It's pretty complicated.

[morihaus]

the remans are all such losers if they had an ounce of genuine ambition or patience they could've been set with what could have been the most powerful political alliance since the first council in a pact with the tsaesci but instead they were too busy being despots or partying or being paranoid or dying. in my heart i think part of the tsaesci's intention in finding a dragonborn in tamriel was to take a divide and conquer approach to dragons/the world and it just fell flat due to the spectacular inadequacy of the reman dynasty

[ovisiphorus]

Why are you people pestering some random from the Global South what to do about our election? You people are too fucking stupid to live. How can I trust you guys to make informed choices in the primaries and general?

[menaceborn]

actually, might add an AU where i change the events of phantom menace slightly so that maul still kills qui-gon, but he never fights obi-wan (maybe qui-gon told obi-wan to leave naboo with anakin to get him to safety? idk, it's an AU so the details aren't hugely important tbh) which, in the big scheme of things, doesn't change much except maul would still be allied with palps and carrying out his orders and so on