Deadly Decadent Court: Difference between revisions

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It is a monarch's court where the [[Pride|powerful, yet humble]] [[Blue Blood|nobles]] gather to make decisions [[Aristocrats Are Evil|for the common good.]] Unlike the [[Standard Royal Court]] where the [[Royals Who Actually Do Something|"royals" spend their time idly]], the Deadly Decadent Court is quite serious about its work; [[Evil Tastes Good|taking no pleasure]] in ensuring [[The Hedonist|decadence]] is outside of the judicial courts, hence the name.

They stem from [[Big Screwed-Up Family|esteemed houses]] with [[Royally Screwed Up|an ancient and deserving history]] who [[Feuding Families|work together]] in their effort [[Obstructive Bureaucrat|to best serve]] [[The Caligula|their beloved king]], [[God Save Us From the Queen|his gentle consort]], and [[The Dung Ages|beautiful country]] -- doing [[Cold-Blooded Torture|whatever is needed]] to quell [[La Résistance|threats to it]], [[Rich Boredom|however wearisome it is]]. They're all [[Brother-Sister Incest|like brothers and sisters]], though they must [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|resolve]] [[Divided We Fall|occasional conflicts]]. Their work is made all the easier since they [[Consummate Liar|never lie]], much less [[Betrayal Tropes|betray]] each other. (There is [[Defector From Decadence|an occasional odd-ball though.]] Plus some who [[Home Sweet Home|sulk]] in [[Arcadia|their ramshackle country homes]] -- but they're [[Good Is Old-Fashioned|old fogeys]].)

They stem from [[Big Screwed-Up Family|esteemed houses]] with [[Royally Screwed-Up|an ancient and deserving history]] who [[Feuding Families|work together]] in their effort [[Obstructive Bureaucrat|to best serve]] [[The Caligula|their beloved king]], [[God Save Us From the Queen|his gentle consort]], and [[The Dung Ages|beautiful country]] -- doing [[Cold-Blooded Torture|whatever is needed]] to quell [[La Résistance|threats to it]], [[Rich Boredom|however wearisome it is]]. They're all [[Brother-Sister Incest|like brothers and sisters]], though they must [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|resolve]] [[Divided We Fall|occasional conflicts]]. Their work is made all the easier since they [[Consummate Liar|never lie]], much less [[Betrayal Tropes|betray]] each other. (There is [[Defector From Decadence|an occasional odd-ball though.]] Plus some who [[Home Sweet Home|sulk]] in [[Arcadia|their ramshackle country homes]] -- but they're [[Good Is Old-Fashioned|old fogeys]].)

Of course, a certain [[Ermine Cape Effect|sense of decorum]], [[Make Up Is Evil|beauty]], [[The Dandy|elegance]], and [[Pimped-Out Dress|style]] is [[Dress Code|expected]] of all [[Fish Out of Water|newcomers]] who want to [[Propaganda Machine|uphold this proud tradition]], and if one isn't able to, they know it's their duty to [[Stealth Insult|discreetly but clearly explain customs to them.]] After all, even their [[Malicious Slander|casual conversation]] is often [[Feed the Mole|about matters of import]], and they must [[Arranged Marriage|consider their children's future]]. They do [[Compliment Backfire|expect manners]], though their [[The Beautiful Elite|artless dignity]] is often hard to imitate. And their [[Religion of Evil|piety]] is unquestionable.

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[[The Fair Folk]], when they aren't out tormenting us norms, are like this.

[[Sub Trope|One type]] of [[Standard Royal Court]]. Sometimes only portions of a court are like this, such as when the decadence congregates about an evil [[Evil Chancellor|chancellor]] or [[Evil Prince|prince]].

[[Sub-Trope|One type]] of [[Standard Royal Court]]. Sometimes only portions of a court are like this, such as when the decadence congregates about an evil [[Evil Chancellor|chancellor]] or [[Evil Prince|prince]].

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* The entire first "book" in ''[[Dune]]'' is practically one long convoluted case of court intrigue. The Emperor, who was secretly in league with the Baron, was trying to off the Duke by giving him a deathtrap "promotion" to take control of a flailing production operation that he surely had no hope of turning around, while the Illuminati-like women's convent neared its ultimate goal and began pulling the political strings in new and dangerous directions, all ending in the collapse of the Corrno Imperium and another Jihad.

** Special Mention to House Harkonnen, who are revoltingly decadent and incredibly dangerous - the Baron is a fat, revolting, gluttonous, implied paedarest, as well as being a sadist, his nephews are 'just' maniacal sadists, torture is something of an after-dinner entertainment ( a passage shows Harkonnen workers cleaning up the remains of one of these in one of Brian Herbert's books, a favourite pastime of Caligula), and the whole affair generally resembles Ancient Rome at its worst (gladiatorial arenas, paedophilia and all.) The aesthetic is pretty bizarre, with sweeping robes and gold combined with stinking oil and huge pollution, smoke and filth - the Harkonnen are clothed and live in finery, but completely filthy both morally and physically.

* In [[Jim Butcher]]'s ''[[The Dresden Files (Literature)|The Dresden Files]]'' novels, the White Court. It helps that those involved are all [[Horny Devils|White Court vampires]] that make [[Xanatos Gambit|Xanatos Gambits]] a way of life; at one point Lara says something to the effect that no one will respect her if she attempts to seize power by straightforward means. The Raiths are [[Royally Screwed Up|a bit dysfunctional]], to say the least.

* In [[Jim Butcher]]'s ''[[The Dresden Files (Literature)|The Dresden Files]]'' novels, the White Court. It helps that those involved are all [[Horny Devils|White Court vampires]] that make [[Xanatos Gambit|Xanatos Gambits]] a way of life; at one point Lara says something to the effect that no one will respect her if she attempts to seize power by straightforward means. The Raiths are [[Royally Screwed-Up|a bit dysfunctional]], to say the least.

* In [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]'s ''[[John Carter of Mars|The Gods of Mars]]'', the court of Issus.

{{quote| ''The First Born do no work. The men fight--that is a sacred privilege and duty; to fight and die for Issus. The women do nothing, absolutely nothing. Slaves wash them, slaves dress them, slaves feed them. There are some, even, who have slaves that talk for them, and I saw one who sat during the rites with closed eyes while a slave narrated to her the events that were transpiring within the arena.''}}

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* [[Kings|The court of Gilboa]] is a polished, modern-day beaurocracy where the king wears suits and rules from a conference table. That doesn't make any difference to the murderous, treacherous and utterly corrupt proceedings that go on behind closed doors, though...

* Mark Antony's and Cleopatra's Court in ''[[Rome]]'' is so decadent it turns former [[Magnificent Bastard]] Mark Antony into a fat whiny crybaby.

* The non-renegade Time Lords in ''[[~~Doctor Who (TV)|~~Doctor Who]]'' often got depicted like this, especially in Robert Holmes TV stories and the [[Darker and Edgier]] spin-offs. Now that they're officially dead the Doctor likes to imply that they were [[Nostalgia Filter|dedicated and unselfish defenders of the universe]]. At least, until it became a question of "us or the rest of the universe", and they settled on "us."

* The non-renegade Time Lords in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' often got depicted like this, especially in Robert Holmes TV stories and the [[Darker and Edgier]] spin-offs. Now that they're officially dead the Doctor likes to imply that they were [[Nostalgia Filter|dedicated and unselfish defenders of the universe]]. At least, until it became a question of "us or the rest of the universe", and they settled on "us."

** [[Expanded Universe]] tells us just how much the Doctor's lying-even before the Time War there was a specialized branch of Time Lord bureaucracy ''specifically'' to act as a [[Deadly Decadent Court]], the Celestial Intervention Agency. At first, they were nothing more than a darkly intrusive Internal Affairs sort of organization. When the Time War came, they started taking ''measures'' to enforce Time Lord dominance across the timelines. [[Ascend to A Higher Plane of Existence|They]] [[A God Am I|succeeded]].

* The Masterpiece Theater series ''[[I Claudius]]'', starring Derek Jacobi and numerous other high-profile British actors. This series, based on a series of novels, recounts the life of Claudius, the awkward fool who would be emperor... and the drama, treachery, and intrigue that happened in the royal household. It's even more intense when you consider that it is based on historical events. But then, truth is stranger than fiction.

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== [[Video Games]] ==

* In ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics (Video Game)|Final Fantasy Tactics]]'', the royal court of Ivalice, inspired in part by the War of the Roses, who [[Gambit Pileup|manipulate]], [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|backstab]], [[False Flag Operation|frame each other]], and ally themselves with the [[Legions of Hell]] (wittingly or not) to achieve succession and absolute rule.

* In ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics (Video Game)|Final Fantasy Tactics]]'', the royal court of Ivalice, inspired in part by the War of the Roses, who [[Gambit Pileup|manipulate]], [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|backstab]], [[False-Flag Operation|frame each other]], and ally themselves with the [[Legions of Hell]] (wittingly or not) to achieve succession and absolute rule.

** ''[[Final Fantasy XII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XII]]'''s House Solidor and the Archadian Council are no better. Including the "join forces with [[Eldritch Abomination|Eldritch Abominations]]" part.

* The Iron Council of [[The Empire|Magnagora]] in ''[[Lusternia]]''. They're monstrous even by the standards of a city twisted by [[The Corruption]] and populated by [[Fantastic Racism|racist mutants]]: backstabbing, murder and ''cannibalism'' are all actively encouraged means of advancement, and their [[Physical God]] chief advisor is the resident [[Manipulative Bastard|manipulative]] [[The Chessmaster|chessmaster]].

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[[Category:Evil Tropes]]

[[Category:Deadly Decadent Court]]

[[Category:Trope]]