England [Arthur Kirkland]

Country Name: England

Human Name: Arthur Kirkland

Gender: Male

Appearance:

Personality: Deny it all you want, but England is - and always has been - a gentleman. He places great importance on propriety, and will not hesitate to correct others should they be overly rambunctious. To aid him in doing this is a rather sharp tongue, which is constantly loaded with sarcastic quips and sharp comments. Still, he is courteous when need be - even when it's unnecessary to mind his manners, because he doesn't believe such moments exist -, and places emphasis on the need for chivalry.

Because of his preference for such outdated customs and mannerisms, he is often compared to an old man. He enjoys staying home to curl up on his favorite armchair with a cup of tea in one hand, and his favorite book in the other... which brings us to England's often hidden love for all that is romantic. Few nations know this, but deep inside, England has always been a huge romantic. It's blatant in his earlier literatures, in which beautiful women are saved by gallant knights, and brave kings lead their kingdoms to victory and glory. (The tale of King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, and Guinevere is a prime example of such stories.)

Despite his literature preference and tendency to act like a gentleman, it doesn't take long for most people to figure out that England has quite a temper - and that it doesn't take much to trigger it. Once angered, his language becomes much more coarse than it usually is, and he tends to be more liberal with his curses. He'll shout, insult, and yell until all his frustration and irritation is vented out, which may actually take a while. Those who knew him during his more reckless days can definitely see that, when angered (or drunk, but this really depends on who he's with), England is not unlike the delinquent he was once.

There are mainly two eras in time when England was anything less than a gentleman - his childhood, when he was too young and too busy trying to survive to care much about manners, and the 60s and early 70s, a time known in America as the British Invasion. It was during that time that England let go of all inhibitions and ran free, learning (and mastering) the electric guitar, getting a tattoo of the instrument, drinking, smoking... and so on and so forth. (Admittedly, he still carries a love for rock music to this day.) Despite this era marking a reckless period for him, England can't bring himself to be ashamed, because it was during this time that he felt happy and free while on land. On the sea, where he felt the most free - which was quite ironic, given his inability to swim -, England was still quite the gentleman... though, admittedly, he was slightly more brutal and had a dormant sadistic streak.

But, back to his temper. As he is easily angered - and easily flustered, easily embarrassed... -, he finds himself conflicted with many, many people. Unfortunately, once someone gets onto England's bad side, they're likely to remain there for a while. He has a tendency to carry grudges for quite a long time. Coupled with this are his severe trust issues, which may or may not be part of the reason why he is so hard to get along with. Blame his brothers for having picked on him so often when he was a child; France, for doing the same and then going on to fight him for centuries; America, for rebelling and gaining independence... anyone, really. The point is that England's trust is very, very hard to get. He'll be polite and play nice, but that doesn't mean he will readily believe everything you do and say. In fact, he's likely to doubt some of the nicer things people tell him, if only because he just isn't used to it. In the past, people have attacked him and betrayed him to get his riches, his land, and just about anything and everything else in between. Thus, it really isn't any surprise to see him wary of most everyone.

All this combined make him a very hard person to befriend... and thus, he doesn't have many people he's close with. There's only a limited number of people that he truly cares about in return, though he's in constant denial of this concern. (France is one; America, another.) Though he tries to act as if his lack of companions don't bother him, deep inside, it's one of the biggest troubles on his mind. Yes, he enjoys his times of peace and quiet, and yes, he does have his mythical companions, but sometimes, he desires for something more. No matter how much he denies it (both to others and himself), England gets lonely rather easily.

Though, that isn't to say that oftentimes, his magical friends are enough. When he was young, he was constantly attacked by other nations - his brothers, France, Demark, etc. - who wanted his resources or his land. During these times, it was the mythical creatures such as unicorns, fairies, and nymphs that kept him company and offered support. Because of this, he remains very close friends with them to this day, and will not hesitate to speak up in their defense should anyone badmouth them. After all, England was - and still is - quite loyal to those who have completed the trial of winning his trust.

Those who have the honor of receiving the Englishman's full trust is entitled to an ally for quite a long time. Though the British Empire is no more, England himself is not any less fierce than he was before. Should any of his friends need a helping hand, he will be the first to arrive with aid, and the last to leave. Still, this doesn't mean that his demeanor will change very much... though a priveleged few may get a chance to see the more gentler side of him if they play their cards right. This side is arguably his 'true' side, the one he keeps hidden away because he fears getting mocked or hurt. He's learned over the years that only pain can come from openly displaying your emotions, and so he tries to keep his gentleness hidden.

Don't be fooled by his temper and hidden compassion, though. He was the greatest empire in history at one point, after all, and the legacy shows whenever he is plunged into war. His actions are well-planned and executed with nothing less than perfection, and isn't afraid to be the only one standing in the face of an enemy. (Take the Napoleonic Wars, in which he was the only nation fighting against France for the entire duration, as an example, or World War II, in which he stood tall against Germany, even after France fell.) When his people are at stake, England will stop at nothing to ensure them safety and happiness.

Now, if you haven't noticed already, England is quite prideful. Do 'the almighty British Empire', 'the proud British Lion', 'the great British Navy' sound familiar? They should. England, while not flauntingly arrogant, is quite proud of all his achievements and strengths. He'll say or do some rather regrettable things to protect his pride, because he believes that a nation without pride in him or herself is just an empty piece of land, ready to be taken over. He'll also do some regrettable things in order to protect his pride, and finds it difficult to ask others for help. It's only when he can't get any more desperate that he begins inching towards a chosen few for help, as his competitive side strengthens his hatred for losing.

Unfortunately for him, this pride of his is often wounded when he gets drunk. Old habits die hard, after all, and England is certainly no exception. Despite claiming to have left his days as a delinquent far behind, he still carries with him a love for alcoholic beverages. It's his lack of tolerance that gets him drunk before quite a few others, and thus leads to embarrassing situations that often depress him when he sobers up and remembers. When he's inebriated, he's susceptible to bouts of anger, depression, and regret - overall, a person no one wants to be around. He will often reflect on the past, though what he sputters in his drunken stupor will change with each person. With some, he will boast and mock about the strength of his empire, while he is prone to crying and frustrated yelling with a very few chosen others. (One should also keep in mind that he becomes much more loose when he's drunk, which may or may not lead to wandering hands...)

Likes: Embroidery, craftsmanship, reading, rock music, tea, America

Dislikes: People who make fun of his eyebrows, people who make fun of his cooking, loud & obnoxious people, fast food

Strengths: As a former pirate, England is quite skilled when it comes to sailing and navigating without the aid of modern technology. Despite his inability to swim, he longs to be at sea, where he is the most comfortable - and, admittedly, the most powerful. While others fear tumultuous waters, he just sees a challenge - nature, ready to be battled and conquered. England also excels at hiding, a skill he has mastered from his younger days, when he was not yet strong enough to fight off his brothers, France, and Denmark. Finally, England has a sharp mind. He's quick to make observations and can, for the most part, stay calm in a majority of situations, because he knows that he'll be able to find a way out of it. He's quite resourceful, after all, and can make the most out of what little he has.

Weaknesses: As hard as it is to believe, England cannot swim. He can sail across the seven seas with relatively little problems, but throw him into the open water with absolutely nothing to hold onto, and he will sink and drown. He's also afraid of rejection, so he will often keep others at a fair distance to prevent rejection from ever even becoming a possibility. This will make it quite difficult for him to build lasting friendships. England has severe trust issues, too, and finds it extremely difficult to believe that anyone would want to like/befriend him without any ulterior motive in mind.

Fears: Being completely hated and abandoned, and... to a certain point, hope. He's a pessimist by nature, so there will always be a small part of him that believes that whatever hope he feels will just amount to broken dreams and failed attempts for something greater. He's also afraid of rejection, which is often why he's not always the easiest nation to get along with. He'd rather keep everyone at bay than to get close to someone, and then get rejected. Lastly, England fears being forgotten. He doesn't want to be just another name in the history books; he wants to be remembered for all that he has done, because it gives him a sense of being loved enough to be mentioned, several years after he dies.

What happened before and shortly after the apocalypse?: England had been cleaning up his attic when he felt the first earthquake, followed immediately by the sharp pang of his people's fear. Everything happened in rapid succession after that, with England running out of his home to see his lands and his people struggle and lose against nature's vehement strikes. He made his way towards London to help with the evacuation process, but it was difficult to get anything done through all the chaos and disorder.

It was only when he'd ran towards Buckingham Palace, which was burning and on the verge of collapsing, that he saw the seas rise higher than he'd ever thought to be possible. He barely had enough time to grab onto a tree before the water came crashing down, hard enough to make him lose his grasp. He struggled to reach the surface, but to no avail; he lost consciousness under the merciless grasp of the oceans he'd once conquered.

When England awoke, he was freezing and aching more than he had during World War II - and that was saying a lot. His flesh wounds - ones he could hardly remember getting - had been disinfected by the oceans, but the raging waters had driven pieces of wood and metal through his skin. There was no one around - at least, not that he could see - and a part of his numb mind realized that this was not too different from the situations he faced as a child.

Though it took him a while, England recovered quite quickly, mostly due to his status as a nation. When he was able to move around - not much, mind you -, he saw that his lands had been completely destroyed, then frozen. But all hope was not lost, because he felt it - the distinct feeling of life, of survival. Somewhere, somehow, his people were alive. And though he could hardly walk, he set out to find them.

What are your character's top priorities and goals?: Honestly, he just wants the world to return to how it was before the Calamity. Deep inside, though, he has the smallest of desires to roam about and conquer lands again, as he did in the past, but he has wizened up enough over the years to know that doing so would only bring him more pain in the end.

Sample Post: He wakes up in the morning feeling just as tired as he did the previous night. There's dried blood on his fingers, his boots are caked with mud, and wounds that he's never even seen before are tattooed across his arms. There are bits of brown somethings on his skin, and he realizes with nauseating dread that it's flesh. Something churns in his stomach and he jumps out of bed, bolting for the bathroom and reaching the toilet just before the remnants of whatever he ate last night are emptied.

He doesn't look in the mirror. He's afraid of what he'll see, because the image he has of himself in his mind is still just that - an image. He doesn't want to make it a reality, doesn't want to solidify the nightmares that are infesting within him. The dry heaves are slowing to a stop, now, and with a shaky hand, he flushes the toilet and stands up.

His clothes are thick and heavy, and no matter how hard he tries not to think about it, he knows that it's because they have been drenched in blood. His fingers stumble over themselves as he tries to unbutton his shirt, but he eventually succeeds after undoing one button, then another, then another, until the article of clothing slips off his shoulders. It doesn't take him as long to rid himself of his trousers and his undergarments, and his face twists in disgust as soon as he sees the evidence of a night clearly enjoyed.

He steps into the shower and turns on the water, closing his eyes as he feels the sweat and grime and blood slowly wash away. It's hot, almost unbearably so, but he forces himself to stay still. If he tries hard enough, he can imagine that he's burning his sins away in purgatory, that the scalding water pounding on his skin is actually the merciless flames licking away at his transgressions.

The peace, however, does not last long. He begins hearing screams, seeing faces and remembering orders that he knows he shouldn't recognize. He shouldn't know where it is or who was involved, but he does.

It was in Yorkshire, up a little sloping hill at Towton. The Yorkists had 36,000 men, while the Lancastrians had 40,000.

And with that memory, it all comes flooding back - memories that are, most certainly, his, yet at the same time, not his at all. The images that come to mind are revolting, and remembering the orders that had been issued - by his mouth, in his voice - just make him feel sick again. He remembers Henry Percy, and the brief conversation they shared as they fought; Sir Andrew Trollope, and his cry of 'traitor! traitor!'; and Lord Dacre, who had reached out to him just before collapsing to the snowy ground, dead.

His fingers are merciless as they work the shampoo into his hair, but no matter how much pain he inflicts on himself, he can't distract his mind from the bloodied snow that he'd thoughtlessly stepped on as he took one life - the life of his people - after another. A strained, desperate cry leaves his lips, but that is the only show of weakness that he allows. He feels pitiful, allowing his own actions to affect him like this, but that can't be right, because the one that had ordered the carnage he'd so blissfully slept through isn't him.

It is, but it isn't.

Briefly, as his hands work on cleaning himself up, he wonders what will happen at the end of all this. If the red flower proves to be victorious, would his nightmares cease to tread into the realm of reality? Conversely, if the white flower triumphed, what would happen to him? Would he cease to exist? No, no, that isn't the right way to phrase it. He would still exist. This body, this entity, would still be... but it wouldn't be him.

However, that thought gives way to a much, much scarier thought. What if both sides lost? What if both the red rose and the white rose withered? What would he be then?

He tries to deny the answer, but in the end, he knows that it's something that he can't forget. He will become nothing but a name in the history books, a stain in the face of the past, and... a memory. He isn't sure if he can deal with that or not, so he tries to turn his attention to happier things. It doesn't work. All that plagues him when he steps out of the shower is an almost grotesque confusion about who he is, and who he will be.

He looks to the mirror, finally, and reaches out to wipe away the fog that has settled on the clear glass. As he looks at himself, so pale and clean and deceptively pure, he feels disgusted. With his hand, marred with the cuts of a battle he remembers but never participated in, he rests it against the mirror, covering his face.

Suddenly, the words 'I am Arthur Kirkland' don't seem to hold even the slightest semblance of a meaning anymore.



Timezone: GMT -8

Did you read the rules? England is perhaps the most magnificent character ever. <3

Favorite Pairing: USUK is my OTP, but I've plenty of other pairings I adore, too. xD PruEng and SpUK/UKSp are definitely close seconds, but after that, I'm really not picky. Non-England pairings that I enjoy are definitely DenNor, Spamano, LietBela, and... well, way too many to list here, I guess. xD