#royal institute of international affairs

[serpentface]

What’s Couya’s perspective/mental state during the lead up to White Calf Exploits? What does she think is going on in general, or irt omens and hallucinations, and how is that fed into by her social/interpersonal/personal history, or her relationship with religion?

A lot of the abuse she experienced in her childhood was partly rooted in/influenced by her being autistic. Children with developmental disabilities that notably impact their functioning are often conceived of as having not properly been incarnated in their bodies and missing parts of their soul (this is especially the case with severe intellectual disabilities, which unfortunately is often responded to with infanticide if detected soon after birth).

Couya would be considered fairly ‘high functioning’ as an adult, given she's taught herself to mask most behaviors (the most pronounced symptom is her consistently and very noticeably avoiding eye contact, and otherwise she just comes off as quiet, overly blunt, and strange) but had pronounced and dramatic symptoms as a child (having meltdowns, going nonverbal, taking a very long time to learn to speak, etc). This is not something that parents are given any societal equipment to understand or deal with. There are certainly some parents of autistic children in this setting and cultural context who love their kid (even children they believe to be half-empty) and try the best they can, but Couya was mostly raised by a mother who hated her, being seen as a living breathing insult in that she was born in an affair, a living reminder of her own traumas, a compounding of the shame of having birthed a premature sickly infant and never successfully conceiving again. So there wasn’t going to be a supportive outcome here.

Her mother would quite explicitly impart to her that she was something half-formed and empty, not really a whole person, not fully human. Janeys learned to parrot this. Her father never verbalized this notion and was far kinder to her, but was clearly in agreement that something was wrong with her. Couya grew up with this messenging and fully internalized it.

One (semi)positive way she learned to cope with this is by recontextualizing herself as an empty vessel in a positive sense, something uniquely primed to be filled and shaped, specifically in the context of her religious beliefs. All Odonii are conceptualized as living vessels for aspects of Odomache, and an empty vessel can hold more than one that is already full. She might not be a full human, but maybe this just makes her better in service to her God. This is the psychological backdrop that primed her for everything else.

WRT the pilgrimage, she is a true believer, and wholly accepts that the sacrifice and re-incarnation of the Odomache is vital to restoring God’s connection to Its lands/the sacrifice-rebirth cycle and should end the drought. She is, however, coming into it with significant doubts about the royal family’s role to play. Faiza is completely loyal to (and partly puppeting) the Usoma Stavis Amanti, but Couya doesn’t share her faith in him.

At this point, six years into a famine that has been handled absolutely disastrously, public opinion of the royal family is in the pits. A once fringe politically radical argument that the institute of dynastic emperors is a godless foreign import that should be replaced with native Wardi religious practices in the form of a priest-emperor (usually assumed to be the Odomache) has become a fairly popular public sentiment. This is especially the case given the death and defilement of the previous Odomache and loss and presumed destruction of her body (preventing God Itself from being able to naturally reincarnate, halting the cyclical flow of its spirit) is seen as what initiated the drought to begin with. (Don't mistake this for like, proto-leftist sentiment, this is just about replacing a dynastic emperor with a god-emperor and shifting into a religious-nationalist theocracy).

Couya had already seen the logic in this radical sentiment; she had great pride in her order and agreed with the notion that it would provide far better leadership and public unity than the increasingly weak and unpopular Amanti dynasty. But initially she kept this to herself (especially as a representative of a pilgrimage that was, in large part, a desperate display of unity between a fracturing priesthood-military and the imperial family) and was willing to go along with things, it was far more important to perform the rites than to perform a coup.

There’s significant pre-established and widely held beliefs in dreams being potential omens, particularly dreams had by those in the priesthood, which may be visions directly from God (or specifically the Face they serve). Early into the pilgrimage, Couya has an EXTREMELY evocative dream that is highly suggestive to her as prophetic guidance from God Itself:

She is in the palace district of the city of Wardin. The streets are filled with slowly rising floodwaters. She finds the calf dead in the water being torn at by feral dogs. She kicks away the dogs and lifts the calf to its feet, which is now alive but feeble. It’s behaving entirely like a normal baby cow, even sucking at her fingers looking for milk, but in the dream it is self evident that This Is God Itself. Couya knows she HAS to get It to the palace, and lifts it onto her shoulders and wades through the water. One dog follows her and is jumping up, trying to bite at the calf, and Couya’s hands are full and she can’t do anything. There are people watching and she’s like “hey can someone get this stupid dog away from me” but no one makes a move.

Hibrides is suddenly walking with her and the dog is gone, and starts talking about how the calf is good meat, hard to come by in these times, they should get it to a butcher. Couya is in disbelief like "Hibrides what the fuck are you talking about. This is God. You can’t just eat It." God moos in agreement. Hibrides concedes, and is just kind of There for the duration, and dream-Couya is now thinking about how she’s going to have sex with her once she’s done with her task, this is self-evident in a dream-logic way, as if it’s an inevitable part of the process she’s undergoing.

They make it to the palace with the water now up to their necks and Couya kneels on the steps, placing God on the top of the stairway. It is suddenly no longer a calf but a full grown bull aurochs, crowned in three curved pairs of horns. It has an erection. This is Mitlamache in the flesh. It says something to her that she knows is very, very important, but she can’t remember it. At this point the dream tone-shifts and she’s like ‘Cool. Okay now it’s time to plow my brother’s hot wife’ but tragically wakes up before this can occur.

How she interprets the dream:

It is a full description of the incoming journey and situation. God is severed from power, weak and vulnerable and threatened, and needs the protection of its people. Couya seems to be the only one capable of helping it. Through her actions, It is revived and manifests as Mitlamache in its wholeness, ready to restore severed death-rebirth cycle and renew the land’s fertility. It is only restored upon being brought to the palace, suggesting that the increasingly popular belief that the imperial family should be ousted in favor of the Odomache as priest-emperor is the correct way to go. This is a call to arms, a signal that her role in things will be vital, and guidance as to what needs to be done. Not really sure what the Hibrides thing is about but whatever.

Literal mundane meaning of the dream (given I am trying to write this as a realistic dream and this character’s brain processing memories and anxieties):

It’s a manifestation of wider cultural anxieties about the current situation, though displayed through a flood rather than drought (slow, creeping threat). The dogs are compoundations of this threat, being reviled animals attacking something sacred, reflecting cultural anxieties about the empire being torn apart from outside and within (active, immediate threat). ‘God’ is feeble and weak and Couya wants to give herself to save it, it's her duty, she's an empty vessel. The active threat of the dog is maintained for a while, reflective of feelings of constant external threats along the way. People watch on but no one is willing to help her- feelings of isolation, feelings that she's the only one that can do this. The calf becoming a bull aurochs with three pairs of horns and a prominent erection is just how Mitlamache is usually depicted in art, not a directly psychosexual thing. Hibrides is there because Couya has a crush on her, there ARE undercurrents of sexual frustration there.

So like after having this dream she’s primed to think she has a key, very important role to play. This does not immediately translate to her being like ‘Okay so I’m supposed to be the Odomache’, it’s initially just a signal that her intended job of being one of the calf’s emissaries is uniquely critical. The conclusion that she is to become a god-emperor is the end result of a long spiral of events, further (mostly more liberally interpreted) dreams, hallucinations and religious delusions, but it all is based in the aforementioned factors: She understands herself as an empty vessel, and she has recieved messages from God that she is to be the one to restore it. It eventually becomes a fairly obvious conclusion.

One other MAJOR perceived omen along the way is (while Couya, Tigran and Palo and the calf are separated from the group) the three of them being stalked through a more densly treed patch of savannah by a pair of starving wild lionesses. They are inadvertently saved when a bull buffalo separates from its herd and charges at the lions (as a common form of anti-predatory aggression, a large bull could usually drive away two starving lionesses), only for a male lion to appear from hiding and the three lions to kill it instead. Couya's in the middle of a particularly intense break from reality and witnesses this in a dreamlike state, with the meaning feeling very obvious and as very directed symbolism. The wild bull, a sacred animal to Mitlamache like the calf, has given its life to save the people and the sacrificial calf. The starving lions (Odomache) consume its corpse and regain strength in its death, emerging victorious. It seems to be a very pointed signal of how things are going to go, a strong message aimed at Couya specifically.

A lot of it is things that happen on the pilgrimage, with the final tipping point in her mental journey being a massacre of civilians in a Loberan farming village (after an attempt to extract Charitable Tribute For The Pilgrimage goes horribly wrong). This happened in large part because of Stavis Amanti’s relative weakness, deference to his advising parties, and complete inability to control his troops (and this Did truly become a massive and extremely significant stain on the Imperial family’s reputation and started a chain of events that would eventually spiral into a civil war). Watching Imperial citizens, supposed to be under the protection of the Usoma, being slaughtered was an ultimate signal to her that the Imperial Family is corrupt, weak, godless, and must be replaced. And at this point a combination of other factors has persuaded her that she’s the only one that can do it, certainly not Faiza (who has been the presumed candidate for Odomache and is loyal to the royal family). This is where it fully solidifies into hijacking the rites and planning a coup.

[whencyclopedia]

The Foundation of the Royal Society

The Royal Society was founded in 1662 to promote scientific research and increase our knowledge of the natural world. With royal patronage and a stellar membership of great minds, the society quickly gained international recognition for its work. One of the society's noted presidents in its formative years was Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727), who held the post for 27 years.

Newton was also responsible for one of the great feuds that beset the society, unfortunately not an uncommon state of affairs, as great men competed for credit as the first to make certain scientific discoveries. More positively, in many ways, the Royal Society was responsible for setting out what exactly we consider science today, with its emphasis on experimentation, sharing of data and knowledge, and having peers critically assess all new results and theories.

Origins of the Royal Society

The idea of the Royal Society is often credited to the English statesman and philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626). In Bacon's New Atlantis (published incomplete in 1626), he presented the idea of a utopian scientific institution that promotes research; he called it Salomon's House in homage to the wisdom of the Biblical King Solomon. Three decades later, in 1660, several natural philosophers, that is thinkers and men of science who sought to explain the physical world around us, men who had already met each other from time to time in informal settings, got together to make Bacon's idea a reality. There were other such informal groups in other areas of studies, particularly as at that time, the universities largely concentrated on teaching and did not conduct research like today. In order to more efficiently discover and promote new ideas, the benefits of a formal institution were required. In addition, such a self-funding institution would mean scientists (perhaps more accurately described back then as natural scientists) did not have to go around begging for financial support from wealthy patrons inclined to pursue their own interests rather than those of science as a whole.

Continue reading...

[shifa-ameen]

A Saudi Man donated “$16 Billion” In Charity and kicked himself out of the billionaires club.

In the Muslim world, the Arabs are considered the richest. They spent a lot of amount on buying cars, gold, and ships, investing in the business, and purchasing big market shares. The lavish lifestyle had put the attention of the media towards them.

Yet Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi revealed in an interview that he’s no stranger to poverty, having been penniless on two separate occasions in his life.

Sulaiman Al Rajhi started working when he was nine as a porter, carrying shopping luggage for shoppers at Riyadh’s Al Khadra market. At 12, he started collecting palm dates for a job that paid him no more than six Saudi Riyals per month. He used to sleep on gravel at the same workplace wearing the same outfit he wears during his hard work.

He appreciates his wealth and knows others will benefit too. ‘In the past, I never gave money to my children when they were young in return for nothing. When one of them approached me to give them cash, I asked them to do some work in exchange for it,’ he said.

In 1957, Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi cofounded Al Rajhi Bank with his three brothers. It grew into one of the world’s largest Islamic banks and earned Al Rajhi a 10-digit net worth.

The Rajhi family is considered to be Saudi Arabia’s wealthiest non-royals and one of the world’s leading philanthropists, whose wealth was built from scratch.

As part of his philanthropy, he established the Sulaiman Al Rajhi University, a non-profit university that focuses mainly on health and Islamic banking.

In 2012, Rajhi received the King Faisal International Prize for dedicating half his fortune to charity as well as starting an Islamic bank that supports charity work and implements effective national projects.

Apart from that, Rajhi has dedicated his bank shares (worth $3.7 billion, according to Forbes Middle East), his poultry farm, and other assets to a charitable endowment that funds anti-hunger efforts and education in the kingdom.

This Saudi businessman has just taken Snap Chat to a whole new level by revealing the extent of his charity efforts through the social media platform, Sheikh Suleiman al-Rajhi got thousands to tune into the Snap Chat interview, conducted by social media star Mansour al-Reqeiba.

$16 billion (60 billion riyals) is the amount of money he has donated throughout his lifetime, he said – an amount that is considered one of the largest endowments made in the Islamic world and which has yet to be matched.

He has given away two-thirds of his entire wealth to charity in the form of waqf –an Islamic endowment- and the remaining one-third to his family.

The 95-year-old is the founder of Sulaiman Bin Abdul Aziz Rajhi Charitable Foundation, which supports educational, religious, health, and social causes. The foundation has donated to the Arab Institute for Arabic Language, National Guard Health Affairs, and the Sheikh Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi Mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Now let me tell you what Waqf is. “Waqf,” refers to the donation of valuable goods including money, buildings, land, or other assets to the public – with no intention of reclaiming them back.

The donated assets are no longer owned by anybody and cannot be bought or sold, nor can they be used for generating profit.

[certifiedkazuhaskitten]

Wriothesley as a duke duke in an actual kingdom setting is so underrated for no reason. He's called Duke of Fortress of Meropide for a reason?? It's uncommon to stumble upon writers who ran with it literally.

Map-wise, Fortress of Meropide was located around the Liffey region + near the Fontaine Kinetic research institute, which, canonically was the northern part of the entire fontaine region. It was near Snezhnaya and Natlan (which opens up a lot of potential troupe of diplomatic issues). It's underwater, have a very unique demography of criminals, and relies almost solely to meka machine production as it's source of income. People who come to the fortress of meropide dukedom are either officials, knights, or criminals. One of the main duty of the fortress of meropide dukedom is to guard the primordial water gate (say this is before archon quest) which opens up plot similiar to guarding the borders from monsters and savages, etc.

Wrio can be titled the uncrowned king of no man's land and it is true.

Someone could just write Wriothesley as the "monster" duke of the north with a very mysterious personality. No one outside the dukedom Fortress of Meropide (except for officials like Neuvillette and Clorinde) have ever seen his face, so they deem him as a rough ex-criminal with an ugly face.

The only good thing the nobles had to say about him are his military resources. The dukedom have donated 1/3 of the entire royal knights, beating even top military academies in the capital. Nobody knows how much military power he got on his sleeves. He was also known for his wealth. As the sole producer of the meka machines used all over Fontaine, Wriothesley have accumulated more wealth then any other nobles could even imagine. This allowed him to have crazy intel (through an infamous guild named Spina de Rosula) and people grew to fear even speaking of his name.

Meanwhile, [name] was the adopted child of a middle-class noble, say a count. [name] was to be married to Wriothesley as a way from the Iudex to validate Wriothesley's title as a duke because many nobles invalidate Wriothesley's nobility (they think Wrio is a lowly ex-criminal who only got his title because he took over the Fortress). The family of [name] was one of the nobles that openly criticized Wriothesley; afraid of the Iudex's order to send one of their child to marry the duke, they sent [name], a convenient scapegoat who happens to be adopted because they have a pyro vision and is intellectually superior.

So now [name] is set to be sent to the fortress of meropide dukedom. Relieved they can finally part with the toxic noble family that housed them all these years, they marched straight to the dukedom with their escorts.

... I will write the continuation of this later.

My extra ideas in a list;

1. Navia, the famous Marchioness who is known to host an exclusive salon and takes over the land of Poisson (in this case salon is a space for mingling within nobles) is actually the leader of the infamous Spina de Rosula guild, selling everything from information to rare artifacts highly sought after. She is the anonymous affiliate to The Fortress of Meropide Dukedom and supplied a lot of stuff in the dukedom.

2. Furina, the grand duchess of Fontaine. She is the face of the royal court, known for her famous acting and directing career. Responsible for the diplomacy of Fontaine and international affairs.

3. Neuvillette, the Iudex and ultimate head of the royal court. Responsible for carrying out judgement to every trial, national affairs, and control the noble faction to prevent overpower from the higher class of fontainians.

4. Cheuvreuse (is this right spelling?), the Captain of the Shadow Knights. Main duty is to spy, interrogate and catch criminals. Frequently sighted coming back and forth to the fortress of meropide to send more batches of criminals.

5. Clorinde, the Captain of the Royal Knights Division 1. Main duty is to act out the ultimate verdict made by the Iudex and guard national affairs.

[darkeagleruins]

The…Royal Institute of International Affairs? It can’t be real. It just can’t.

Department of State grant (2024)

Amount: $1,499,915

Recipient: Royal Institute Of International Affairs

Purpose: To build an informed and engaged community of water diplomacy practitioners which fosters collaboration towards achieving sustainable, resilient and equitable water security

Country: India

[collapsedsquid]

After 9/11, President George W. Bush and his team argued that a nonstate actor like al-Qaeda could not have pulled off the attacks alone, and that some country must have been behind it all. That state, they insisted, was Iraq—and the United States invaded Iraq. In a savage irony, they may have been right after all about state support, but flat wrong about the state. Should we now invade Saudi Arabia? The answer is no. The Saudi Arabia of 2001 no longer exists. The country is still capable of criminal action; witness the case of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, victim in 2018 of a team of Saudi murderers in Istanbul. But the Islamic extremism that coursed through central institutions of the Saudi state appears to have been largely exorcised. Few countries in the world have been so consistently misunderstood by the U.S. as Saudi Arabia, though, so that judgment is necessarily a provisional one. [...] Why there wasn’t much more of a response from the monarchy won’t be fully understood until the royal archives are opened, assuming that internal discussions were even recorded. But it does seem, in general, that the house of Saud ruled but did not govern; governance was typically for commoners. Without inquiring closely into the day-to-day operations of the religious and foreign-affairs ministries, the royals could not have had a clear idea of what was being done in their name, including the deployment of Saudis with diplomatic visas for the purpose of attacking the kingdom’s strongest, most reliable transactional partner.

If only king Fahd knew!

[celticcrossanon]

Catherine and William hiring a CEO to manage the staff of their various households: the advertisement makes it very clear that one of the important requirements of the position is to communicate and co-ordinate with BP (i.e. staff serving the King). So, although people want to create some huge rivalry between the two households and take sides, that is not the case.  Catherine and William have four homes (two on private royal estates  and two on Crown Estate property), plus whatever homes they inherited when William became Duke of Cornwall.

*

Hi Justsdv,

I think that communicating with the staff at BP would be an important part of the job no matter what the internal state of affairs between the households. They are still together as part of an institution and that means that they do have to talk to each other. :) 

It makes sense to hire one person to be the top manager for all the Wales households. It just make more sense to have all the information being passed through one central person .

[dreamyshifts]

the beloved and royal house of pendragon | avalon

The House of Pendragon has stood as the reigning royal family of Avalon and Magical Britain, combining ancient magical heritage with modern governance. The Houses’ goal is to bring prosperity, peace, and security within the country, as well as stabilize their international power. Their seat of power is the magnificent Cordington Palace, where they maintain both political leadership and magical traditions.

Royal Structure and Governance:

The monarchy operates through two main bodies:

The Round Table of Camelot - Focusing on external affairs, military matters, and traditional ceremonies, in addition to the Wizengamot

The Queen's Inner Court - Managing internal affairs, diplomatic relations, and social matters within the kingdom

Royal Responsibilities:

Protection and governance of Avalon

Maintaining diplomatic relations with foreign magical nations

Preserving ancient magical traditions and ceremonies

Overseeing the balance between civilians, noble houses, and governmental bodies

Cultural Significance:

The Pendragons serve as both political leaders and magical guardians. They maintain strong connections with noble houses and magical institutions. The family plays a crucial role in preserving Avalon's magical heritage

They hold regular audiences with citizens, maintaining a direct connection with their people

[jordanianroyals]

King Abdullah II of Jordan Marks 62nd Birthday

Jordan celebrates today, 30 January 2024, the 62nd birthday of King Abdullah II, the eldest son of the late King Hussein and Princess Muna. He was born in Amman on January 30, 1962. He ascended to the throne on February 7, 1999.

King Abdullah received his primary education at the Islamic Educational College in Amman and then attended St. Edmund's School in Surrey, England. For his secondary education, he went to Deerfield Academy and Eaglebrook School in the United States.

He enrolled at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in the United Kingdom in 1980 and received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1981. King Abdullah joined the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army in 1982, rising through the ranks to lead the Royal Jordanian Special Forces and Special Operations.

In 1987, King Abdullah graduated from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Washington, DC, with a Master's Degree in Foreign Service and completed an advanced research and study program in international affairs.

After returning to active military duty in 1989, he was promoted to Brigadier General in 1994 and appointed commander of the Royal Jordanian Special Forces and Special Operations.

King Abdullah married Queen Rania on June 10, 1993. They have four children: Crown Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma, and Prince Hashem.

On this significant occasion, His Majesty continues to lead the nation with unwavering effort, dedication, and resolve, driving a comprehensive renaissance for Jordan and its youth as the country moves into its second centennial.

The King is committed to a comprehensive modernization of the state's political, economic, and administrative structures to secure a prosperous future for Jordan and its people.

His Majesty actively engages with the nation's youth, men, and women, and dignitaries, personally inspecting living conditions across the kingdom and inaugurating numerous projects across all sectors.

King Abdullah II dedicates his efforts to maintaining Jordan as a beacon of development in a challenging region. This includes significant investments in human capital, combating terrorism and extremism, and tirelessly working to foster peace in the Middle East.

Despite Jordan's limited resources, King Abdullah II has kept the nation's doors open to millions of refugees, continuing the Hashemite tradition of hospitality to those in need.

His Majesty has been honored with several prestigious awards for his contributions to peace, interfaith harmony, and the protection of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem under Hashemite Custodianship. These honors include the Peace of Westphalia Prize, the Templeton Prize in the United States, Italy's Lamp of Peace of St. Francis, and the Scholar-Statesman Award from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

King Abdullah II is also the author of "Our Last Best Chance: The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril" (2011), outlining Jordan’s vision for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict.

[gildedreign]

{sean teal,34, male, he/him} we are so glad to see you safe, MINISTER OF JUSTICE/PRINCE MATTHIAS RENEE DE LORRAINE of GERMANY(LUXEMBOURG)! it’s dangerous out in the world these days, but i hear that you are VALOROUS and ADROIT enough to handle it. just don’t let your SELF SACRIFICING bring you down! stay on your guard, because with your secret being at risk for exposure, you wouldn’t want everyone to find out YOU ARE THE PRODUCT OF A LOVE AFFAIR, ONLY RECENTLY DISCOVERING THAT THE MAN YOU BELIEVED TO BE YOUR FATHER ISN’T YOUR BIOLOGICAL FATHER.  {carina}

Matthias Renée de Lorraine: Minister of Justice and Scion of Germany

Amidst the opulent halls of power in Berlin, where the echoes of history resonate, we introduce Matthias Renée de Lorraine, esteemed Minister of Justice and scion of Luxembourg. We rejoice in your safe return, noble minister, a figure of grace and fortitude, molded from the crucible of duty and familial legacy.

Childhood: Heritage and Sovereignty

Born amidst Luxembourg’s castles, your childhood was steeped in the weight of sovereignty and the call of duty. As the second son in a lineage rich with tradition, you and your elder brother, heir to the esteemed throne, navigated the expectations of your father's court with unity and mutual respect. While your brother prepared for the weight of rulership, you forged your own path under the watchful gaze of your father, learning the intricate dance of courtly etiquette and familial obligation. Despite the divergent paths laid before you both, your bond remained unyielding, strengthened by the shared burden of upholding your heritage and preparing for your own unique role in Luxembourg's storied lineage.

Siblings: Pillars of Unity and Wisdom

You often found yourself unwittingly the target of your father's simmering anger. As the second son, living in the shadow of your elder brother, the heir apparent, whose path to the throne was clear and unyielding, your father harbored high expectations for both of you. However, his disappointment and sharp reprimands seemed to land more often on your shoulders than on your brother's. , Matthias displayed a tendency towards intellectual pursuits and a curiosity that sometimes veered outside the traditional boundaries of royal comportment. This deviation, however slight, was enough to draw the sharp edge of his father's disappointment, manifesting in stern reprimands and, at times, cold silence. In your pursuit of intellectual interests and a curiosity that often led you beyond the confines of traditional royal comportment.

The Tyranny of Perfection

In a twist of fate orchestrated by your father's hand, Matthias, you find yourself betrothed to a childhood rival who now reigns as Germany’s Queen. Despite your own deep-seated reservations about the match, driven by a desire to prove your worthiness in your father's eyes, you navigate the political intricacies and familial expectations with a sense of duty. Straddling the courts of Germany and Luxembourg, you employ diplomatic finesse to uphold both personal fulfillment and dynastic responsibilities, all while internally grappling with the weight of familial expectations and personal convictions.

Minister of Justice: Guardian of the Rule of Law

Matthias's journey into the echelons of legal scholarship was marked by meticulous diligence and a thirst for justice. Educated in the storied corridors of Germany and Luxembourg's finest institutions, he honed his expertise in law and governance, preparing himself for the weighty responsibilities that awaited. Elevated to the esteemed post of Minister of Justice, Matthias Renée de Lorraine assumed a pivotal role in safeguarding Germany's legal framework. His tenure is defined by an unwavering commitment to justice, transparency, and equitable governance. He leads initiatives aimed at modernizing legal protocols, championing human rights, and fortifying Germany's judicial resilience.

Whispers of Ancestral Betrayals

Amidst Luxembourg's regal tapestry, you bear the weight of ancestral secrets, whispered in shadows cast by towering castles. Born into the embrace of royalty, your mother's final breath unveiled a truth that unraveled the fabric of your identity. She confided in you of a clandestine love affair, revealing that the father you revered was not the architect of your bloodline. Amid courtly murmurs and the echoes of your father's indiscretions, your childhood was a dance of unconditional love from a mother's tender heart and distant expectations from a father's lofty gaze. These revelations, etched into your soul, shape your path with empathy and a profound understanding of power's intricate thread.

[randomidiocyncrazies]

on the topic of war crime tribunals/transitional justice in the Kree-Skrull Alliance, Scarlet Witch #6 brings up info on a genocide that's "for ruling eyes" only—the resolution of that story is pretty much something you'd expect from a superhero comic book (which is the type of story they set out to tell so it's like. within genre conventions even though I think it's questionable, though it's framed as adequate and effective access to justice and reparation*) but like. imagine if Teddy pushed for information transparency after seeing how much of his people's history is being hidden from them, or if it delved into a legal battle with the perpetrators of genocide instead of physical combat.

It's mentioned that the Skrulls hid this information because they wanted the Blood Skrulls "out of sight, out of mind"; they wanted to divorce their identities from the Blood Skrulls' (which is understandable if imo not the right way to handle it), and imo also because the genocide of other species isn't 'important' enough to be acknowledged. So if Teddy, the Great Uniter and King of Space, pushed for some kind of public acknowledgement of war crimes/crimes against humanity** committed by the two empires he'd inherited, what would the public reaction be? Whose feathers would be ruffled? Who would be supportive because it's the right thing to do, and who'd be supportive because of some other vested interest?

(also, irl there are international laws for crimes against humanity; would be interesting to see an intergalactic version of that, and the drafting of stricter protocols/policy research/establishing agencies and organizations that deal with investigating large-scale genocide and oppression etc... along with the political squabbles about jurisdictions and sovereignty that you see irl at UN and other international organizations)

Also, it seems like the only people in Teddy's court are him, Billy (Court Mage and Prince Consort), Lauri-ell (The Accuser/bodyguard) and Mur-G'nn (???), which seems a bit wack. You can't run a vast empire with so few people, and even if Teddy is mostly concerned with the affairs of Throneworld it's still really weird that there aren't more recurring characters at the Kree-Skrull court... I totally understand why K'lrt isn't serving the inner court—Teddy shouldn't have to see his mother's murderer day in and day out—but like. can we get a few more ministers on the roster????? I wish there's more opportunities to just see what a typical day on Throneworld is like, y'know? I'd kill for a miniseries that features normal citizens of the Kree/Skrull Alliance just living their life and doing their work, and the royal couple's adventures are only alluded to in the background.

(somewhat related, but i'm actually kind of ??? at Teddy being so okay with the fact that it's an empire that he's in charge of; I wish we got more of his thoughts on what he thinks about the natures of empires and monarchies in general, and his thoughts on institutional reforms etc. Struggles about what kind of king he wants to be has been brought up before, and his showdown with his grandma re:the nature of a successful ruler was pretty badass in Empyre... but being king means you have to approve or veto laws and policies, having to deal with paperwork and weighing advice from people who may or may not have the empire's best interest at heart etc etc. It means confronting the concept of absolute power in the hands of a ruling class determined by birth. It's a bit of a shame that they want the empire to be a thing in the worldbuilding, but don't really invest in developing the empire into a viable setting that feels real/lived in)

*tbf since we don't know the domestic laws of the Kree-Skrull Alliance or any intergalactic law regarding genocide/gross violations of the rights of sapient & sentient life, massacring the people responsible may be perfectly legal in the setting (and thus doesn't violate UN guidelines to the right of reparation, which I used as a baseline). It sucks that there wasn't a formal trial establishing the guilt of the responsible parties, though their guilt was informally established/treated as truth due to the nature of the classified info—the situation feels like executing someone without a formal trial, with all the evidence coming from a classified CIA record lmao (and this doesn't get into the issue of possible innocent blood skrulls—are all of them really guilty/responsible for genociding the monastic order in question? Whoooooo knoooooows!)

**they're aliens but you know what i mean

[jgmail]

ENTRE INESTABILIDAD Y NEOLENGUA LA CRISIS DE OCCIDENTE PARA QUIGLEY

Giovanni Sessa

El problema de Occidente, para los eruditos anglosajones, se encontraba en la aceleración de la comunicación y la destrucción de las comunidades, de los cuerpos intermedios, realizada a través de: "la comercialización de las relaciones humanas".

Terminamos la lectura de un interesante volumen, El fin de Occidente. Tramas secretas del mundo de los dos bloques, de Carroll Quigley, publicado por la editorial Oaks (por encargo: info@oakseditrice.it, pp. 283, 20 euros). El volumen está editado por Spartaco Pupo, estudioso del pensamiento conservador y profesor de la Universidad de Calabria. El nombre del autor es prácticamente desconocido para el gran público en Italia, pero gracias a sus estudios "se han superado definitivamente las reconstrucciones teleológicas y deterministas para dar paso a una perspectiva de la historia global basada en un análisis realista y antiideológico de los acontecimientos" (p. 7). Esta afirmación de Pupo acompaña directamente al lector al mundo ideal del autor. El volumen es un silogismo de ensayos, entrevistas y conferencias de Quigley, cuyo contenido es de rigurosa actualidad.

  ¿Quién era, se preguntará el lector? El historiador nació en Boston en el seno de una familia de ascendencia irlandesa. Educado en instituciones católicas, se graduó en Harvard. Pronto se trasladó a Europa con una colega, Lillian Fox, que más tarde se convertiría en su esposa. Fue en Milán donde escribió su tesis doctoral, aún inédita, sobre la administración pública durante el Reino napoleónico de Italia. En esas páginas, Quigley defendía una tesis que socavaba la vulgata historiográfica sobre el tema: Napoleón no impuso metodologías avanzadas de desarrollo a los países conquistados sino que, por el contrario, injertó en el sistema francés métodos administrativos y presupuestarios que ya habían sido probados en el Piamonte y el Ducado de Milán. En 1941, fue llamado a la Escuela del Servicio Exterior de la Universidad de Georgetown, en Washington, donde permaneció durante cuarenta años como profesor estimado y apasionado. En 1961, publicó la primera de sus obras monumentales, La evolución de las civilizaciones, en la que presentaba su enfoque holístico de los acontecimientos históricos. En una entrevista concedida al Washington Post, recogida en el volumen, leemos: "Los holistas utilizamos el pensamiento como una red o matriz de cosas. Los reduccionistas utilizan una ética absoluta: las cosas están bien o mal; los holistas utilizamos una ética situacional" (p. 11). En su opinión, la civilización representa: "la entidad inteligible de los cambios sociales de una época a otra" (p. 11).

  La historia se desarrolla, en esta perspectiva, por fases 'expansivas' y 'conflictivas'. La organización militar, política, religiosa y económica es el volante de la expansión que produce "excedentes" de distinta naturaleza. Por un lado, son un instrumento de estabilidad política; por otro, son 'consumidos' por los pueblos hasta el punto del 'despilfarro', lo que induce el 'declive' de una determinada organización histórica. A partir de tal condición se reinicia cíclicamente una nueva fase de la civilización, como señalaría Toynbee, aunque de un modo exegético diferente. En 1966, con el volumen Tragedia y esperanza, Quiegly dibujó sobre sí mismo las estrías de lo "intelectualmente correcto". De hecho, en esas páginas, señala el editor, elaboró una disección histórico-política sin precedentes y "poco ortodoxa del mundo institucional angloamericano, hecho de tramas secretas y complejos enredos, sacados a la luz con una lucidez poco común" (pp. 12-13). Entre los siglos XIX y XX, Occidente vio amanecer su propia "tragedia", sentó las bases de su posible final y subordinó la política al poder financiero. Fue una oligarquía de origen británico, de orientación liberal y socialista, encabezada por el Royal Institute of International Affairs, cuyos ganglios llegaron a controlar la información de masas y el mundo académico, la que realizó este proyecto. Para ello, se creó una asociación secreta, The Round Table Group, cuyos adherentes se sentían los defensores: "de la belleza y la civilización en el mundo moderno", por lo que querían difundir: "la libertad y la luz [...] no sólo en Asia sino incluso en Europa Central" (p. 14).

  Esta red británica tenía importantes corresponsales al otro lado del Atlántico: los Rockefeller, los Morgan y los Lazard. Quigley nunca escribió sobre las supuestas actividades conspirativas de este grupo pero, a la luz de los documentos, desveló los canales de reclutamiento de esta oligarquía y sus formas de infiltrarse en los potentados políticos y culturales. En un capítulo de El fin de Occidente, leemos: "la red secreta se describe como una confraternidad de entusiastas imperialistas que se mantuvo en pie mucho después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial" (p. 15). Por este motivo, sus obras fueron desacreditadas, retiradas del circuito del libro y reeditadas por editoriales estadounidenses de derechas. Además, el erudito colaboró con las publicaciones más conocidas del conservadurismo estadounidense. El tema más relevante, que se desprende de las conferencias, es la idea de que el origen de los conflictos se encuentra en la voluntad, no de destruir al enemigo, sino de construir un periodo duradero de paz. Además, el historiador señala que la economía no puede ser elevada a deus ex machina de la exégesis histórica, ya que esta postura induce a subestimar la "complejidad" de los acontecimientos. Más concretamente, sostiene que la democracia estadounidense: "no se estableció definitivamente hasta alrededor de 1880, cuando la distribución de armas en la sociedad era tal que ninguna minoría era capaz de subyugar a la mayoría por la fuerza" (pp. 20-21).

  La lectura que propone el académico del mundo dividido en bloques es sorprendente. La inestabilidad occidental vino dada por la hipertrofia asumida por el mundo financiero y la mastodóntica burocracia. Los occidentales siguen, incluso hoy, sometidos a un continuo "lavado de cerebro" a través del neolenguaje: "la certeza de poder cambiar la realidad alterando el significado de las palabras" (p. 22), el resultado extremo del neognosticismo. El centralismo soviético es leído por Quigley como un resultado de la historia rusa, centrado en el uso privado y semidivino del poder. Un modelo que no podía exportarse a Occidente, como pretendían los teóricos de la contestación. El problema occidental había que buscarlo en la aceleración comunicativa y en la destrucción de las comunidades, de los cuerpos intermedios, lograda mediante: "la mercantilización de las relaciones humanas", capaz de convertir a los hombres en átomos.

  Un mes después de su última conferencia, el profesor falleció repentinamente. Por ello, algunos de los textos de este volumen pueden considerarse su testamento espiritual. El fin de Occidente es un libro que devuelve la atención a un pensador que, como se ve, merece más consideración.

Fuente

Traducción de Enric Ravello Barber

[dysrope]

Tik, Tik, Tiktik, Tiktiktik...

Some notes on the state of Tiktik Society in the Golden Age of Chivik

Basic Tik Worker

The Clan Before All

Despite centuries of living in centralized polities, the basic building block of society remains the Clan. These clans have certain rights and obligations relative to each other and the state (which is itself, of course, a clan). These include the profession and status of the clan, which can roughly be divided into the three castes of Worker, Warrior, and Ruler - although there are many gradations within these. Ruling clans may for example be specialized as architects, academics, and lower government officials, and there is typically also some types of work done by all clans - unless tremendously rich, cleaning, and cooking, etc are handled by Tiktik within the clan, even for relatively high status ones.

Basic Tik Soldier

Individuals are afforded very little considerations, and the very concept of personal rights or property is foreign to Tiktik society. Internal clan affairs are not considered the government's business, and it is only in disputes between clans that an external legal system aplies. Membership in a clan is hereditary (on the mother's side. Patrilinial descent is not tracked), and mostly inalienable. Changing between clans is practically unheard of, and any crime bad enough to warrant expulsion is more than likely to get you executed first.

The traditional governing structure of a clan is that of an absolute dictatorship, in the form of the matriarch having total authority over her children, grandchildren, siblings, etc.. The matriarch conducts all business deals, handles relations with other clans (including the state), decides on food and labour allocation, institutes and enforces all rules, and in wartime commands the clan's troops- or delegates various of these responisbilities to trusted advisors.

Small Phalanx, painted in the red zig-zag line of the Kikbak clan

Since matriarchs tend to be chosen on the basis of who can muster the most support, and support comes from close relatives (especially descendants), they tend to be older and wel-connected both within and without the clan. It takes a lot to unseat them, but their age means they tend to reign fairly short periods. Any ambitious Tik may hope to gain control of her clan, and must simply grow her net of allies, and raise large crops of children to strentghen her position. Male Tik are not formally excluded from leadership, but have a clear disadvantage, seeing as they do not, in any way that matters, have any children. Nevertheless, the has been the odd patriarch in some clans, often when they have had they backing some other clan through personal relations. In those cases where there are multiple candidate heirs, and it is not immediately clear which has the most support, clans may descend into civil war, or simply split peacefully.

Over time more and more clans have adopted some type of formalized council of elders to restrict the power of the matriarch, and establish a clear code of laws. The most extreme example of this is of course the Chivik clan itself, where the current matriarch is still the Queen who has been fossilized for centuries, and who thus has very little imput on day-to-day business. The Royal Council has been model to many clan councils, but no matriarch who hasn't been turned to stone would give up quite that much power.

Friends, Food, and Festivities

Despite the central role the clan has in a Tik's life, there is still space for family and friendship. Most Tiktik are very close to their siblings - that is specifically the siblings of the same clutch as themselves. They are raised and educated together, and after this brief childhood, they often work alongside each other learning the clan trade. They often compete for the affection and attention of their mother, but the bond between siblings is often stronger even than that between parents and offspring. While Tiktik have no concept of romantic love, or monogamy, they may have lasting sexual or non-sexual friendships, either with clan-members or with outsiders. These personal connections must of course never come between the Tik and their duty to the clan, but they may end up affecting inter-clan relations, by making alliances possible, or enabling informal channels to ease tensions and reach compromise.

Tiktik cuisine is not yet famous across the world, but it deserves to be. Regrettably the only foreigners who have had a chance to taste it have been Kautaila, who do not eat, so their cuisine has not had a chance to spread. According to tradition, fire and food were the divine gifts to the Tiktik - and this is true. Thus cooking is held sacred, and even among the rich clans, regularly employing cooks instead of having clan-members cook is tantamount to sacrilege. Conversely, the clans of professional Chefs are held in very high esteem, even though they are formally workers. Apart from decadent aristocrats, or selling food in the market, their main duties are to prepare extraordinary feasts for the regular festivals and celebrations. These include the anniversary of the Queen's reign, harvest of various crops, victorious wars, the flipping of the calendar, and many other occasions.

Festive Tik, with skillet

Overall, Tiktik are omnivorous, and they eat everything they can get their claws on, be that bulbgrass, mushrooms, meat from deer or other animals, fish, insects, etc.. And their cooks are capable of turning practically anything into a delicious meal.

The Reckoning of Time

The Tiktik were introduced to the idea of a calendar by the Kautaila traders, telling them of the regular run of seasons of the world above. Given that the Tiktik live their entire lives beneath the earth and have never sen the sun, they do of course not use a solar calendar. Instead, their years are measured in the Magnetic Calendar, between the flipping of the magnetic poles of the world. Though this is of course completely independent from the course of the sun aross the sky, but by divine providence, the magnetic poles flip exactly every 364 days and so the two calendars are in perfect sync. The Tiktik do not use days however, and instead divide the year into 9 "periods", named after the 9 mythical original clans (Chivik, Nycher, Vennes, Lintek, Kistik, Vilret, Chiltal, Sanvik, Litchin), each further divided into 9 "turns", which each has 18 "shifts" (of which the average Tik is expected to work every other). Each magnetic new year, Tiktik gather to watch the great calendar needles placed in central squares flip, and celebrate. It is generally thought that "southern" (uneven) years are more lucky than "northern" (even) ones. The Chivik Golden Age is reckoned to have begun in the year 414 of the reign of the Immortal Queen.

Civilisation and Security

The Tiktik have fairly advanced mining, smithing, and metallurgy, as well as highly efficient argiculture and aquaculture. Most scientific research is concerned with improving yields of crops and extracting or utilizing minerals. There is also a very well developed understanding of city planning and water management, without which their extreme degree of urbanism would be imposslible. They do have a system of writing adopted from the Kautaila, and some voraciously consume literature imported from the surface. However, they mostly consider themselves the center of civilisation, and are doubtful about the veracity of the tall tales they hear of the world above.

In the west, tribal societies still hold out, mostly made up of clans living in adjecent natural caves, and in some cases semi-nomadically moving around when an area has been harvested clean. But the vast majority of Tiktik live inside the walled cities. These provide safety, and, when the supply systems work as intended, sustenance, and most of the reginal capitals have grown into multi-million cities, with Chivik itself counting inhabitants in the dozens of millions. Because of this, they have had to expand multiple times, carving out more room from the surrounding rock, or expanding the fortifications further into the caves. There are also Tiktik living out in the outposts securing the major routes, but even in the greatest of these they are rarely more than a few hundred.

Major subdivisions of the Chivik Empire in the early 5th century QR

There is good reason that most Tiktik prefer to live within the cities. Outside of the walls, even in close vicinity, it is still very dangerous for the inexperienced to wander around. The paths are treacherous and seem to change as soon as you turn your back. Greater Shadowlings still stalk the caverns, and have been known to attack in groups, wiping out entire foraging teams. Occassionally entire tribes simply disappear without a trace, leaving their camps empty, with food still boiling over the fire, and it is not entirely uncommon for tunnels to collapse, cutting of all communication with some outlying outpost.

But with the resources of most of the underworld in their hands, the Chivikvik can provide for every need, and the population growth is entirely sustainable, forever, probably.

[grandmaster-anne]

Court Circular | 21st February 2023

Buckingham Palace

His Excellency Mr Pedro Antonio Serrano de Haro was received in audience by The King today and presented the Letters of Recall of his predecessor and his own Letters of Credence as Ambassador from the European Union to the Court of St James’s. Ms Ana Perez Kramer was also received by His Majesty. Her Excellency Ms Aïchatou Boulama Kané was received by The King and presented the Letters of Recall of her predecessor and her own Letters of Credence as Ambassador from the Republic of Niger to the Court of St James’s. Sir Philip Barton (Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs) was present. The Rt Hon James Cleverly MP (Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs) was received in audience by The King this afternoon. The Lady Sainsbury of Preston Candover was received by His Majesty and delivered up the Insignia of the Order of the Garter worn by her husband, the late Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover. The King held a Privy Council at 4.30pm. There were present: the Rt Hon Penelope Mordaunt MP (Lord President), the Rt Hon Sue-Ellen Braverman MP (Secretary of State for the Home Department), the Rt Hon David Davies MP (Secretary of State for Wales), the Rt Hon Alister Jack MP (Secretary of State for Scotland) and the Rt Hon Olukemi Badenoch MP. The Rt Hon Olukemi Badenoch MP took the Oath of Office, kissed hands upon appointment and received the Seals of Office as Secretary of State for Business and Trade (International Trade). Mr Richard Tilbrook was in attendance as Clerk of the Council. The Rt Hon Penelope Mordaunt MP had an audience of His Majesty before the Council. The Rt Hon Sir Clive Alderton (Principal Private Secretary to Their Majesties) and the Rt Hon Sir Edward Young (Joint Principal Private Secretary to His Majesty) were in attendance. The Governor-General of Canada (the Rt Hon Mary Simon) had an audience with The King via telephone this evening. The Princess Royal, on behalf of The King, held an Investiture at Windsor Castle this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort were represented by the Earl of Rosslyn (Lord Steward and Personal Secretary to Their Majesties) at the Memorial Service for Dame Frances Campbell-Preston (formerly Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) which was held in the Chapel of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3, this afternoon.

Kensington Palace

The Princess of Wales this morning visited Oxford House Nursing Home, 204 Stoke Road, Slough, and was received by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire (Mr James Puxley).

St James’s Palace

The Earl of Wessex, Patron, Central Caribbean Marine Institute, this morning visited the Central Caribbean Marine Institute Coral Nursery, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. His Royal Highness this afternoon attended a Lunch given by the Premier of Cayman Islands (the Hon, Wayne Panton) at Southern Cross Club, Guy Banks Road, Little Cayman. The Earl of Wessex, Patron afterwards visited the Central Caribbean Institute Research Centre, Little Cayman. His Royal Highness, Patron, Central Caribbean Marine Institute, this evening attended a Reception on Little Cayman to launch the Coral Fund. The Earl of Wessex, Patron, Central Caribbean Marine Institute, later attended a Dinner at Southern Cross Club, Guy Banks Road, Little Cayman. The Countess of Wessex, Global Ambassador, 100 Women in Finance, this morning participated in a Panel Discussion at the Ritz Carlton, Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman. Her Royal Highness, Global Ambassador, 100 Women in Finance, this afternoon attended a Lunch at WaterColours, 719 West Bay Road, Grand Cayman. The Countess of Wessex later visited YMCA Field of Dreams, Fairbanks Road, George Town, Grand Cayman. Her Royal Highness, Global Ambassador, 100 Women in Finance, this evening attended a Dinner at the Ritz Carlton, Seven Mile Beach.

St James’s Palace

The Princess Royal, Past Master, the Worshipful Company of Carmen, this evening attended a Joint Services Awards Dinner at Plaisterers’ Hall, One London Wall, London EC2.

Kensington Palace

The Duke of Gloucester, President, Crown Agents Foundation, this evening attended a Reception and Slava Concert in support of Ukraine at Canada House, Trafalgar Square, London SW1.

[wezg]

Review: Moscow Rules: What Drives Russia To Confront The West - by Keir Giles

I am a new member of Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, in London. On a recent visit, I made use of the vast resources of a very well-stocked library at Chatham House and this book is the first of the loans that I have finished reading. It is apt as Keir Giles is indeed a senior consulting fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House. He is an expert on…