#political subterfuge

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: ‘The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt’ #9

The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?), Vol. 9 by Toru Toba My rating: 4 of 5 stars Here's an idea: Invite the most notoriously pragmatic, infamously shrewd, and dangerously intelligent nobleman on the continent to a gathering of backwoods' statesmen and use him for personal gain. What could possibly go wrong? A lot. Obviously. But for the middling, inexperienced politicians of the Ulbeth Alliance, which is located in the far west of the Varno Continent, the opportunity to wield Prince Wein as a tool to pry apart domestic relations is irresistible. Whether through crass manipulation, deliberately invoking chaos, or the usual inter-party shenanigans native to arrogant squabbles for power, politicians will do what politicians have always done: deceive, bicker, exploit, complain, and betray. Good thing the Crown Prince of Natra's seen it all before. In GENIUS PRINCE . . . v9, Prince Wein and his delegation spend a week in the Ulbeth Alliance at the behest of Agata Willow, a Holy Elite and the representative of one of the four city-states that comprise the alliance. How willing is Wein to either harmonizing or upending the alliance's forthcoming Signing Ceremony (a decennial ratification of the alliance)? After all, a stable alliance would mean profitable trade for Natra. Too bad the representatives attending the ceremony, and then some, have their own plans for the future of the alliance. The curious, if obvious challenge set before Wein is that Agata's quest to consolidate authority within the Ulbeth Alliance is sketchy at best. Agata is a tenacious ruler. He's also getting way too old for the bedeviling arrogance that presently binds the wrists of his city-state. He's an interesting character with a modest, though perhaps not enough presence on the page. All the more reason to delve into the man's reason to firm up the alliance, quash his rivals in the other city-states, and modernize the Ulbeth Alliance into a stronger, more respectable country. This novel is an ongoing what-if scenario. Wein's obligation to help Agata is only as strong as he desires. He could, just as easily, shift his favoritism to Oleom, representative of Great Blue Skies of Roynock (port city-state), or to Lejoutte, representative of Grand Red Harvest of Facrita (farmland city-state). Wein has his pick of potential allies. But such luxuries possess an undeniable truth: Wein also has his pick of would-be backstabbers. And as GENIUS PRINCE . . . v9 continues, readers encounter the delightful treat of Wein constantly schooling the locals in what true statecraft looks like. Wein deliberately helps, deliberately obfuscates, and deliberately mixes up everyone's view of the puzzle pieces that might constitute authority within the Ulbeth Alliance. Inter-party marriage? Inter-city trade? Cascading political scandals? These people thought they could spellbind Wein into doing what they wanted. They messed with the wrong dude. GENIUS PRINCE . . . v9 is a fun adventure with relatively low stakes. This novel was clearly designed to ease up on the more perilous inclinations of the continent's detestable figures in favor of a cavalcade of helpless, awkward politicians. The Ulbeth Alliance's reputation as bitter, inward-looking, and nurturing excess religiosity does its residents no favors. But the alliance's next generation of rulers, plus Wein's governance flexibility, offers readers a glimpse into a confederacy of fools on the cusp of critical thinking (Wein: "No one political system is 'correct.' What matters is how people benefit from it. Who cares if the government is 'on your side' if everyone starves to death? Do whatever works," page 12). The book's only substantive dive into the darker alleyways of nation-state trickery concerns the author's long-awaited explanation of the history of the Flahm. Discussed at varying points in the novel from the perspectives of Wein, Falanya and Nanaki, and Ninym, the tale of the subjugation, rise, and fall of the Flahm people is sad, pitiable, and stomach-turning. It is little wonder why Wein is so intensely protective of "his heart," Ninym, and so earnest in doing well by her people. And it is with this in mind, it is also little wonder why Wein is so willing to interfere in the affairs of the Ulbeth Alliance, a surveillance society whose citizens ignorance is their only source of pride (Kamil, political aide to Agata, on the alliance: "Tell them the foolish, illogical people of a senseless land were destroyed by their own folly," page 119).

Light-Novel Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads

[kazifatagar]

Hadi Uses Clever Language to Criticize Anwar's Government

Abdul Hadi Awang, the leader of PAS, says that if the opposition is too big, the government will become too proud instead of working together. He says that if the head is bigger than the body, it is more likely to fall. However, Hadi does not directly call the government of PM Anwar Ibrahim a group of thieves and robbers. He says that when all these groups come together to form a government, it…

[kirkwallguy]

one act three handers conflict i love to make up in my head (because act three is held together by three quests and a piece of string) is that hawke is playing the political game, they're doing this fucked up dance with meredith because they KNOW that they're getting closer to her. so when she asks them to kill blood mages for her, trying to degrade them and push them to breaking point, they agree because at least it means they can get into her office. meanwhile, anders hates this and thinks it's deeply scummy. he doesn't believe it's worth it and sees even a fake alliance with meredith as a major betrayal. even if they're killing blood mages, they're still doing templar work! maybe he never forgives hawke for it deep down.

[windrunner]

mental illness is so wild because i will be in the deepest hole in the world. and then i will suddenly think of something someone i hate who stabbed me in the back (or front) said and i'll snap out of it ASAP because i'll go "wait. i am better than that person in a million ways. who cares???". and then i will go make a new digital elf.... the dichotomy of mankind

[tamedstray]

The way the Veilguard is set up makes me think Vigor's verse should lean into the politicking and spywork a lá Leliana/Josie <3

[sameteeth]

something that i think is really interesting about billy's view of flint in s3 is that he thinks flint's death (if it's in a self-sacrificial way) will not absolve him of his sins in life but that it will make up for the hurt he's caused. or at least that billy wants it to. he pushes flint to take the maroon queen hostage so that flint will die, but flint will die for the crew. billy says in s3e6 "with all the shit that he's done, the things he's gotten away with, [flint dying to free them from the maroons] would have been fair. that would have been right" and that he wants to see "the moment the world finally catches up to [flint]" if/when he dies dueling teach. billy has a very simple idea of justice - he wants flint to die for the death and destruction he has caused, no matter how. that will make the world right, that the narrative will be balanced again.

but what billy doesn't know, and what makes me INSANE about this show is that the full quote from billy is is "I think part of the reason I've been able to stand by his [flint's] side is that I wanted to make sure I've got a good view of the moment the world finally catches up to him... and this story starts to make sense again." but to flint, what he has done is in service of his own justice. justice for the deaths of thomas and miranda and james mcgraw, for the theft of his home in london and again his home in nassau. but to billy, HIS narrative identifies flint as the villain. as the monster. for billy to get justice, flint must die. but it's SUCH a good line, because it also prompts the viewer to think - in OUR narrative, which follows flint and silver mostly, flint must succeed. we want him to beat teach and take the fleet back and overthrow the british empire. flint is shown to be a murderer but he is also shown to be deeply deeply human and we are set up to sympathize him. but it makes you consider what other voices we aren't hearing. who else has been hurt by flint's actions? what narratives have flint as the villain ? none of the characters in black sails are the heroes in every story - but to who are they the villains?

[crimeronan]

WOULD GHOST EVENTUALLY FIND AMITY AGAIN... in the wayyy future after luz has been empress for a long time.....

i think for the sake of all our mental health, we can imagine that ghost is currently living with the bat queen and has become good friends with flapjack. and that sometime in the very Veeery distant future, they might find their way to their respective witches together.

[absentmoon]

ive been told a few times that i seem power hungry

[cirsiu-m]

//i'm at the point in my unemployment era where i'm considering an Akonification of my life

[muddypolitics]

(via Trumpers Know 3rd Party Spoilers Are Trump’s Only Shot - TPM – Talking Points Memo)

I’ve been writing recently about the corrupt monstrosity that is the “No Labels” third party effort and the way the insider sheets in DC persist in labeling this an action on behalf of centrists. It is in fact a lifestyle front group run by the husband and wife team of Mark Penn and Nancy Jacobson, some of the most retrograde players from the dark side of American politics. The effort is funded by a who’s who of right-wing Republicans. But I want to step back from this story to note a feature of the 2024 presidential election that is already coming into view.

The 2016 and 2020 presidential elections were both quite close. Numerous factors distinguish one from the other and set the stage for the very different results. But one of the biggest factors was the role of third party candidates which made it possible for Trump to slip in by pulling both major party candidates down below 50%.

[all-hail-trash-prince]

Adastra got me. Uh. Normal. So normal

[thefleetingflashofa-sword623]

The worst part about using a friend as a stepping stone in a game of political subterfuge / power gathering scheme is that you can only really do it once and then you have to build rapport with a whole new friend before you can do it again

[atmosphericradar]

"This motherfucker leaked [classified information] for that most ineffable thing, something nonmaterial but nevertheless hyper-real in the logic of the poster, and particularly the right-wing-chud poster: clout."

[q-spam]

yk sometimes i think about how me and my friend have such similar hobbies but in completely opposite directions. like, we both like fantasy novels but shes reading reverse harem smut and im reading political subterfuge.

[atmosphericradar]

@pseudonym-pending is giving the game away in her tags!

I think we should leverage boomers' and republicans' obsession with "beating China" in order to build out a national high speed rail system

[baldursgate3tempobsessed]

Hihi! I went on anon cause my main blog is strictly sfw, but I promise I'm an adult(29). Anyways, I had this idea of Ascended Astarion teasing Tav/Reader in front of a mirror. He can't see himself, but loves the way Tav/Reader shudders under his touch and them getting more and more embarrassed because all they can see is themselves getting riled up by seemingly nothing, but when they look down, ofc they see his hands working magic across their body.

Lol ty for the clarification and ask! I've been needing some nsfw practice!

Ascended Astarion nsfw under the cut, 18 + warnings. Like this is not implied smut. It is smut, graphic. Possessive, obsessive, manipulative, bad vampire man who loves you. As much as he's capable of. Morally gray human Tav from the start to here. It's only downhill from here baby, m/f angle. But if that doesnt fufill the dream let me know and I can make a gender neutral/ gender nonspecfic no prob! And probably less intense too because this is angsty~~~

Like I went ham, this is a whole ass fic now💀

You frowned at yourself in the bedroom mirror, adjusting your hair for the umpteenth time. It still didn't look right, despite what felt like hours of practice that you'd put into the intricate style.

You sighed as let one of your braids fall down, dissatisfied with what you saw. You didn't exactly look the part of an all-powerful vampire's consort, or at least not with the company you've recently been keeping. But it turned out a significant part of taking over Baldur's Gate was trenched in politics, meetings, balls, social events created for the sole purpose of mind games.

It was exhausting, or at least it was for you. But Astarion seemed to take to it like a duck to water. This life suited him, one of power games and subterfuge, and more often than not, murder. Not that you minded. You were just happy that he was having fun. That he was finally free after all of those years of torment. Even if he was using that freedom for… less than savory ends.

But despite his goals, you had sworn to him that you would never stray. And you intended on making good on that promise.

You just wished that he didn't insist on you being there for all of his "business". You hadn't realized how literal he had been about the whole sitting in his lap plan. It had taken a half-hour conversation to even convince him that no, you would not be doing so in the nude. He still hadn't given up on convincing you off that plan, but you highly doubted that it would help with your current level of heightened insecurity.

Maybe you were worrying for no reason. It wasn't Astarion who made you feel out of place. Well… it was, but not because of anything he did. Just… who he had become. He was so different now, so much colder to everything and everyone but you. More calculating, less forgiving, and just perfect for working with the most dangerous individuals in the mortal plane.

You seemed to be the only living thing he could relax around anymore, the only person who could soften him. It was strange really. You used to remember his softer side, before the ritual. The way his heart would hurt for children and animals alike, despite his failed attempts to hide it. His soft spot for Karlach, those who were brave and brazen, always willing to do the right thing despite the risks. The kind smile he used to have, reserved for beautiful things like the sunrise, the sunset.

Gone, all of it. It was a fact that you didn't like to think about. What you both gave up, things could have been; there was no point to it anyway. It was over. You gave Astarion the choice, this is what came of that. So here you were, obsessing over your appearance in preparation for a meeting with a high-ranking devil.

How things had changed.

You had no idea if you would ever find a way to match up with the company he kept around these days. Maybe it was your own fault for surrounding yourself with otherworldly creatures, but it was hard not to feel inadequate.

It didn't help that whenever you even slightly alluded to that insecurity, Astarion was more than ready to remind you of your… "options".

"You can join us whenever you'd like my treasure," Astarion would say with a creeping grin, "Just one bite, and we can be sure you'll be mine forever. Would that be so bad?"

It was a tempting offer, one that you kept insisting on refusing. You loved Astarion more than anything. But… you wanted that love to stay your choice. An obligation you maintained of your own free will. It's not that you didn't trust him… but to be a spawn had too many implications for you to handle.

"What has you pouting sweet thing?"

You startled when hands suddenly settled on your hip, gripping through the thin fabric of your nightdress. You looked back, relaxing the slightest bit to see Astarion smiling down at you, amused at the fact he'd managed to sneak up on you through the mirror.

"You said you weren't going to do that anymore," You whined as you leaned back into him, your eyes turning back to the mirror. You could see the fabric of your slip indented under his hands, ghost-like without his actual image reflecting back.

"I lied," Astarion said simply, leaning down to breathe you in from the crook of your neck, "Now what are you thinking about pet? I can tell something's on your mind."

You bit your lip, debating for a moment if you should tell him or not. But it's not like he would let it drop, and he was way too good at being able to tell when you were lying. Might as well come clean.

You sighed, "I don't…I don't know if I'm cut out for this."

You expected him to huff at you, maybe even laugh. But instead, the grip he had on you tightened, hard enough to make you gasp. You could feel his fangs scraping against your delicate skin, scratching hard enough to cause pinpricks of blood to bead out.

"And why would you ever think a thing like that?" Astarion asked, his voice harsh and low, "Where else would you be if not by my side hm? Please, enlighten me."

You gulped, your heart rate starting to pick up. You hadn't meant it like that, "That's not what I meant-"

"Then what else could it have meant?" Astarion shot back, his hands digging into you, surely ready to leave finger-shaped bruises. Suddenly he was using that same grip to drag you backward to the bed, effortlessly settling you between his spread legs.

All while managing to still be right in sight of the mirror. You could feel your cheeks redden as his hands started to wander, unceremoniously tugging down the straps of your nightdress to reveal your chest. That was another thing about life after the ritual that had been a surprise, just how different Astarion's sex drive was. It's not like he was a prude before, far from it, but now he was insatiable. Always ready and willing to touch you whenever the urge struck him. Often enough for you to eventually come to the thrilling, if not slightly disturbed realization, that… he was training you. Training your body to always want his touch.

And tonight was no different. You could already feel yourself getting wet, and he had barely done anything yet. But then suddenly he was pinching your nipple harshly, hissing in your ear, "I expect an answer when I ask you a question darling."

You bit back a moan, trying to remember what you were even arguing about as he started to play with your breasts, "I-I didn't mean it like that. I just… I don't want to embarrass you."

It was humiliating to admit but it was true. Not many people of Astarion's caliber insisted on a singular lover. There were so many people after him now, people with more power, more beauty, and grace. You didn't match up. You couldn't.

"Nonsense," Astarion dismissed, his hands wandering down to tear off more of your clothing, "Look at you. You were made for this life. Made for me. You're gorgeous."

The compliments mixed with the harsh feeling of his hands ripping your nightdress in two was quite the experience. You could feel his own hardness pressing into your backside, twitching as he threw your ruined clothing to the side.

Then he was gripping your chin, forcing your head back up to stare into the mirror in front of you, "I said look."

You obeyed, eyes widening at what you saw. It was so strange to see yourself like this, fully exposed with your legs spread apart, flushed and panting. It nearly gave the illusion that your very image was what was causing the wetness between your legs, instead of the invisible man toying with you.

You swallowed, your throat dry as Astarion's hands wandered lower, a feather-light touch tracing up and down your slit, "You are everything. The sole reason that I'm the man I am today. There is nowhere else you should be than right here."

"But-" You gasped, your words interrupted by a sharp slap to your inner thigh. You could see your skin start to redden in the mirror, a perfect imprint left in it's wake.

"Darling, are you questioning my judgment? What on earth made you think that was a good idea?"

You frantically shook your head, moaning when his fingers delved deeper, playing with your slick folds, "I-I'm not. I didn't- I'm sorry."

You whined as he roughly pinched your clit, his other hand moving upward to do the same to your heaving chest.

He was starting to grind his hardness against you, a tease of more to come as he murmured in your ear, "There's my good girl. Was that so hard?"

You shook your head, gasping as he finally dipped his long fingers into your cunt. You were already so sensitive, humiliatingly close in a matter of minutes.

"So gorgeous," Astarion sighed, staring straight ahead to the sole image of you, whimpering as he finger-fucked your pussy, "So needy. Can you see how wet you are pet?"

You could, you were leaking around his fingers, that needy, intense feeling getting more and more intense by the moment. It was so embarrassing seeing yourself like this, enough so that you snapped your eyes shut.

A bad idea. Astarion tutted at you, landing another sudden and hard slap to your thigh, "None of that. I told you to look. Or else."

You snapped your eyes back open, watching yourself whimper and gasp as you were played with, the harsh movement of his hand jostling your breasts. You weren't going to last much longer, not with the image of you being taken apart, the feeling of him inside you, the mean edge to your love's words.

"You're such a silly little thing, aren't you?" Astarion growled, fucking you harder and faster. You were so close, but you weren't stupid enough to come without permission. Not after what he did the last time, "Doubting me. Do you really think I don't know what's best for you? What's best for us?"

"No," You whimpered, your hips arching backward to rub harder into his erection, "You're right, I-I'm yours. C-Can I come now? Please?"

"Beg me and maybe I'll think about it," Astarion meanly laughed, relishing in the gush of slick his harshness coaxed from between your legs, "Beg and apologize. Apologize for doubting us. For doubting me."

You could barely get the words out through your own gasps, tears prickling in the corner of your eyes, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean it!"

"Good girl," Astarion huskily laughed, using a clever thumb to rub over your swollen clit, "Now tell me you love me."

"I love you," You said easily, meaning every word, "I love you more than anything.

"Tell me you'll never leave me. Ever."

There was something else behind that promise. An obvious implication that your fucked-out brain was too distracted to see.

"Never," You promised, reaching back for you him. You curled your fingers into his hair. pulling his head down to press his mouth against your throat. An open invitation, "I'll always be with you."

Astarion groaned against your skin, his fangs so close to piercing, "Precious pet, how could I ever want anything else? Come darling, you've earned it."

Then he was biting you, the brief flash of pain the perfect trigger for you to fall over the edge. You came with an embarrassingly high-pitched whine, slumping back into Astarion as he drank from your throat.

You looked as much of a mess as you felt, the stickiness between your thighs glistening in the light. You watched yourself, whimpering as Astarion slipped his fingers out. Just to tap them against your lips, forcing them into your mouth to suck on.

You moaned around them, light-headed as Astarion popped off of your throat. You sighed as he licked at the wound, enjoying the brief moment of rest. You weren't naive enough to think that you were done yet. Not when Astarion was still hard, his cock pulsing against you.

"See?" Astarion huskily laughed, licking the blood off of his lips while he played with your tongue, "You're perfect. Perfect and mine."