Post by england on Jul 23, 2010 13:13:47 GMT -5
(((My Reflection)))
Nation: England ( Also the official representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland )
Name: Arthur Kirkland
Gender: Male
Appearance Age: 23
Hair Color: Sandy Blonde
Eye Color: Green
Height: 5’7’’
Weight: 130 lbs.
Appearance:
The single striking attribute in an otherwise unremarkable face is a pair of sharp green eyes, which typically display contempt, frustration, or supercilious boredom. He is not at all forthcoming with his emotions, but in spite of his best efforts, they often show plainly on his face—which is dominated by an alarmingly large pair of eyebrows. He very rarely smiles, and when he does, it is more often a cold, mocking expression than one of genuine joy. He has, on occasion, declared his thin, serious mouth ill-suited for grinning.
In a physical sense, Arthur does cut not an especially imposing figure. His deceptively slight frame can seem almost frail at times; however, he is by no means weak. On close examination, he is more wiry than slender, body hardened and, in places, scarred from unforgiving centuries of war and intense self-regulation. He has never been one for weightlifting—he made an attempt once, without results—but he’s a fair fencer and is still reasonably quick on his feet. He tends to be tense around other nations, alert beneath a polished veneer of indifference. He's quite pale, not at all the sort of person one would expect to have been a sailor, but his palms remain somewhat rough and callused from the years at sea. His grip is rather stronger than one might expect, but his fingers can be surprisingly deft when it comes to embroidery and the like.
When it comes to clothing, he prefers what is practical to what is fashionable. “Practical” for a meeting generally involves some sort of immaculately-pressed three-piece suit, cut to the previous decade’s fancy. “Practical” at home generally involves a sweater vest. He’s never been inclined to bother with his hair, however, and as a result, it’s settled into a state of perpetual disarray, as if he’s just stepped in out of a very strong wind.
(((Know Thyself )))
Personality:
Arthur Kirkland is a difficult Nation to get along with, let alone befriend.
He has no use for what others consider art and little appreciation of what others consider beauty, coveting the elegant trappings of culture only so far as they serve to indicate rank and superiority.
Despite what may seem to be a stubbornly dull and pedestrian nature, he does have a fondness for literature and is given at times to excessive and rather dreamy introspection, leading to quiet, fitful periods of melancholy. Though he is a realist in his view of himself, not given to extreme self-glorification or to unwarranted self-blame, he does have deep-seated insecurities and a vague, indefinable fear of defeat.
He is unabashedly arrogant and a shameless imperialist. Although this mentality has abated somewhat since his years as an Empire, he still has a firm belief in his own superiority and a tendency to look down on the rest of the world, especially his former colonies. When he is in a particularly contrary mood during world conferences, he has been known to blast “Rule, Britannia!” from his hotel room in hopes of irritating whoever is next door, especially if it happens to be France.
Arthur gives others few reasons to compliment him and—returning the favor—few compliments. This is not to say he is incapable of flattery. Some well-phrased words of encouragement, a few gentle strokes of the ego ( and perhaps of other, more tangible things if he deems it profitable )…However, he finds it difficult to maintain this sort of subservient, obsequious façade for great lengths of time. An extremely proud individual, he deems docile compliance humiliating and easily becomes frustrated in situations where he is required to concede to the desires of others. He is apt to react hostilely when he feels his autonomy is threatened—and also when his authority is threatened.
This mentality proves problematic when he is forced to work collaboratively with other nations, as his dogged belief in his own judgment and his personal predilection for running the show lead to rounds of unproductive quarrels.
Restless and eager to display his own power, Arthur reveled in combat prior to the twentieth century, as evinced by his participation in Europe’s scores of “Summer Wars” and his own personal ventures in putting his rebellious subordinates back in their place. The Blitz had something of a sobering effect on him, as did the loss of his empire, but he still revels in verbal combat.
When he is at ease with others ( generally humans, proto-nations, or other technical ‘inferiors’ ), he can be amiable and quite charming—if condescending. A few of his leaders gain his respect ( Alfred the Great, Elizabeth I, and Winston Churchill, for a start ), and he tends, in this case, toward a rather fierce loyalty. It’s always a bit of an unpleasant un-surprise when they die. The number of other nations he genuinely cares for can be counted on one hand with room to spare; however, he cares for them passionately.
In a relationship, he is highly possessive and more than a little jealous. Being in control of a partner both excites and reassures him. He will not hesitate to emotionally manipulate another nation, then sit back and observe the results with amused fascination…nor will he hesitate to intimidate someone psychologically, physically, or sexually to keep things moving smoothly in the desired direction. He has a slight sadistic streak and thrills at the feeling of the power he lost with his colonies. While he can be startling cruel, it is just as often boredom as malice that drives him to it.
There’s something of a calculating schemer in him; he has always been his own first priority, and he looks down without pity on anyone he’s fought, manipulated, or betrayed in pursuit of his goals.
Likes:
★ Tea
★ Power—mental, emotional, sexual…
★ Shakespeare
★ Opera ( He absolutely refuses to admit to enjoying anything outside of British compositions, though. )
★ The Sea ( Privately, at least, he still thinks of it as his. )
★ Winston Churchill ( He had a lot in common with the man; liquor, imperialism, and sheer tenacity… )
★ People who speak forcefully and plainly
★ Gin, whiskey, rum, beer—and so on, and so forth…
★ Both verbal and physical sparring
★ That lovely, compliant image he has of America as a child
★ Arthurian legend ( He’s been enchanted by the stories since the Norman Conquest. He has no idea if there’s anything of the original Britons in him, but he likes to think there is. )
Dislikes:
✖ Hysterics and hysterical people
✖ France, on principle
✖ Stupidity ( Faulty reasoning exasperates him to no end. He thrives on logic, sensibility, and precision. )
✖ Foreign food ( He does not, in fact, consider his own cuisine art, he just doesn’t see what all the fuss is about. )
✖ Sentimentality
✖ Being at any sort of disadvantage
✖ Small talk—and making it
Fears:
☣ Emotional intimacy, because of the vulnerability it entails. He's terrible at expressing himself emotionally--at least aloud. He fares a bit better on paper.
☣ Being helpless, being robbed of his autonomy. ( His private, personal image is of being treated like one of his own former colonies. )
☣ That he’s lived out his Golden Age and is beginning a gradual decline into a senile tourist destination.
Secrets:
♦ His…interest in America is something he’s not fussed about hiding; the actual secret is that he’s been ‘interested’ since the other nation was a child.
♦ He has a solid ( if grudging ) respect for France. He also speaks French.
♦ Yes, he has got a tattoo.
♦ God, he wants his Empire back. The world was simpler British-run.
♦ He’s been…in love…for lack of a less sentimental phrase…three times. Once with a person, once with a possibility, and once with a Nation.
Strengths: He’s quite good at intimidating others to get what he wants. Nations who are physically larger and stronger don’t particularly faze him, and if they do, he doesn’t show it. He’s also extremely stubborn (the Churchillian maxim “Never give in, never, never, never!” comes to mind) and does not surrender lightly.
Weaknesses: Arthur is a cordial partner to those who share his views, but disinclined to compromise with those who do not. It is very unusual for him to admit to being wrong, which tends to lead to explosive confrontations with Nations with whom he is supposed to be collaborating. He flounders in any situation where he is required to provide emotional support for another. Listening to other people’s troubles bores him stiff, and in the rare event that he actually wants to provide sympathy, he has no idea how to go about it. He tends to work through his own emotional problems with a few rounds of stiff drinks and has cursed the habit through many a hangover.
(((The Pages of History )))
History:
449: Angles and Saxons arrive in southeast Britain. Arthur’s earliest memories stem from the small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the ensuing age; he is unable to recall anything of the Britons or of the Roman period. Whether this is because he was born of the Anglo-Saxons or because the
793: The brutal Viking attack on the monastery of Lindisfarne shocks Europe. Scholar Alcuin of York declares the “atrocity” a heavenly punishment for Britain’s sins.
866: King Alfred the Great of Wessex retakes London from the Danes, becoming the first to style himself “King of the English”. He agrees to a treaty dividing England with the (Danish) Vikings and successfully defends his own kingdom against them.
927: Athelstan becomes the first king of all England after defeating the Vikings at York. Generally accepted as the beginning of the “Kingdom of England”.
954: English lands united under one ruler after King Eldred of Wessex defeats the Viking Eric Bloodaxe at York.
1016: The whole of England comes under Danish control under King Cnut. England resides with Denmark and Norway as part of Denmark’s empire.
1066: The Norman Conquest: William of Normandy is crowned King of England. All English nobles are supplanted by Normans.
1190: The Third Crusade. Richard I of England joins in, is captured by the Holy Roman Emperor, and is brought back for an enormous ransom.
1214: Normandy, Anjou, and Brittany are lost to the French at the Battle of Bouvines.
1215: The Magna Carta is signed, the power of restless nobles checking that of the English monarch.
1337: Edward III declares himself the rightful heir to the French throne and begins the Hundred Years’ War with France, further souring an already tense Anglo-French relationship.
1348: The Black Death enters England, killing almost half of the populace, causing rampant unrest, and greatly weakening Arthur himself.
1415: Henry V inflicts a humiliating defeat on the French at Agincourt. He continues his path of conquest, and his son is crowned king of both England and France in 1422.
1429: Joan of Arc turns the tide against England. He does not appreciate it. It’s a well-known story.
1453: France defeats England at the last major encounter of the Hundred Years’ War. English holdings in France are reduced to one town: Calais.
1455-1485: The Wars of the Roses, intermittent bouts of civil war between the York and Lancaster branches of the royal family. Twenty-eight thousand people die in twelve hours in the 1461 bloodbath at Towton, leaving a deep impression on Arthur. The conflict is ended by the military victories of Henry Tudor (Henry VII) and his marriage to Elizabeth of York.
1534: The Act of Supremacy separates the Church of England under Henry VIII from the Roman Catholic Church.
1535-1542: England effectively annexes Wales through the Acts of Union and the introduction of his own legal system to Wales. The Welsh language is outlawed as a language of administration.
1553: Mary is the first woman crowned monarch of England in her own right. She is determined to restore Roman Catholicism.
1558: Elizabeth I, England’s “Virgin Queen” ascends to the throne. Yes, he always was a little in love with her. He doesn’t prefer to talk about it.
1580: Francis Drake menaces the Spanish possessions in the New World, becomes the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe, and is knighted by Elizabeth. Arthur becomes increasingly fascinated by the sea, and by the possibility of overseas conquests.
1588: England defeats Spain’s “Invincible Armada” at the Battle of Gravelines. Arthur grows ever more fiercely confident and begins his ascension as a world power.
1603: James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England. For the first time England, Scotland, and Ireland are united under one ruler. The Irish rebellion is crushed with the end of the Nine Years’ War.
1607: The first permanent British colony in North America is established at Jamestown.
1642-1643: The English Civil War breaks out between Royalists under Charles I and Parliamentarians protesting his heavy-handed rule. The Parliamentarians ally with Scotland.
1646: Charles is defeated.
1648: The Royalist resurgence is crushed by Oliver Cromwell in an eruption of violence known as the Second Civil War. In 1649, Charles is beheaded. In 1651, Charles II is defeated by Cromwell in the last major battle of the Civil War.
1653: Cromwell declares himself Lord Protector, commanding Arthur’s allegiance.
1660: Charles II is restored to the English throne.
1689: The Glorious Revolution. William and Mary are proclaimed King and Queen after the flight of the unpopular Catholic James II. Parliament comes to play a powerful role in English government.
1707: Act of Union of England and Scotland is ratified. They officially become one country: Great Britain.
1721: Sir Robert Walpole becomes the first to hold the duties of Prime Minister, granted authority as Arthur’s superior by George I.
1739-1748: Britain declares war on Spain and becomes involved in the larger War of the Austrian Succession.
1756-1763: The Seven Years’ War between Britain and France begins, swiftly escalating into a global conflict. England and his allies emerge victorious and acquire Canada, among other territories.
1773: The Boston Tea Party heightens tensions between England and America.
1775-1783: The American War of Independence rages, and America successfully breaks from the British Empire. Arthur is not amused.
1793: Britain goes to war with France (again) after the execution of Louis XVIII. As the new century dawns, Napoleon comes to dominate Europe, much to Arthur’s displeasure.
1801: Another Act of Union joins Great Britain with Ireland, and the Irish Parliament is dissolved.
1812-1815: North American tensions continue as America performs surprisingly well in the War of 1812.
1815: The Duke of Wellington defeats Napoleon at Waterloo. By this time, Britain was firmly established as one of the world’s great imperial powers.
1837: The coronation of Queen Victoria begins the prosperous Victorian era.
1839-1842; 1856-1860: Britain defeats China in the First and Second Opium Wars, forcing the Chinese government to accept the opium trade, open additional ports, and cede Hong Kong to the British Empire.
1854: Britain and France wage the Crimean War against Russia.
1876: Victoria is declared Empress of India, displaying the British dominance gained over India in the 1850’s. She dies in 1901.
1904: The Entente Cordiale is signed between Britain and France, signifying an end to the centuries of intermittent conflict between the two nations and uniting them in the face of a new common enemy: Germany.
1914: Britain declares war on Germany in response to the invasion of Belgium and is pulled into World War I.
1919: British soldiers fire on a crowd and kill 300 unarmed Indian civilians. Indian resentment of English rule grows, and Britain meets demands for greater independence. The Anglo-Irish War results in the creation of an Irish “Free State” under the British crown.
1922: Arthur’s power reaches its peak; he effectively rules one quarter of the world’s population. The Irish Civil War breaks out.
1926: Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are recognized as autonomous.
1936: The Anglo-Egyptian Treaty ends the British protectorate of Egypt.
1939: Having followed a policy of appeasement, Britain declares war on Germany in the face of the invasion of Poland. World War II begins.
1940: Allied forces are frantically evacuated at Dunkirk, France falls to Germany, and England finds himself virtually alone against Hitler. He destroys the French navy off the coast of Algeria and begins desperately petitioning America for aid. The Battle of Britain and the Blitz exact a heavy physical and mental toll.
1941: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brings America into the war, to England’s enormous relief.
1942: The Royal Air Force begins bomber raids on Germany.
1944: The D-Day landing at Normandy begins the Allied liberation of France.
1945: Germany surrenders in May; Japan in August, thereby sealing an Allied victory. Britain is in shambles, Arthur’s mental state is fragile, and the Empire falls.
1947: India and Pakistan split from the British Empire.
1949: The Irish Free State leaves the British Commonwealth as the new “Republic of Ireland.”
1950: Britain sends troops to Korea to support America’s fight against communism.
1956: The Suez Canal Crisis and the ensuing Anglo-French invasion of Egypt causes a sharp fracture in England and America’s warming “Special Relationship”. In the end, a cornered England repairs the American connection at the expense of the French bond; France vetoes his entry to the European Common Market in 1963.
1982: Supported by France and a technically neutral America, Britain fights the Falkland Islands War with Argentina over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands; they remain tentatively under British control. The Canada act severs Canada’s last vestiges of dependence on the British Parliament.
1997: Britain returns Hong Kong to China.
2001-present: Arthur increasingly allows personal feelings to draw him into America’s conflicts in the Middle East.
Allies:
(( Greatly reduced, for brevity’s sake, even though the list is still long. I’ve started with the establishment of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. Conflicts prior to 1707 can pretty much be summed up this way:
Enemies: France, Spain’s Invincible Armada, Scotland, and France
Allies: Not Many. ))
War of the Spanish Succession
Austria, Dutch Republic, Prussia, Portugal
War of the Austrian Succession
Austria, Dutch Republic, Russia
Seven Years’ War
Prussia, Portugal
War of the First Coalition
Austria, Prussia, Spain, Portugal, Sardinia, Italian states, Ottoman Empire, Dutch Republic
War of the Second Coalition
Austria, Russia, Portugal, Ottoman Empire
War of the Third Coalition
Austrian Empire, Russian Empire, Portugal, Sweden
War of the Fourth Coalition
Prussia, Russia, Sweden
War of the Fifth Coalition
Austria, Hungary, Sardinia
War of 1812
British North America (Canada)
Hundred Days
Prussia, German Confederation, Austria, Russian Empire, Sweden, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Sardinia
Greek War of Independence
Greek Revolutionaries
Crimean War
French Empire, Ottoman Empire
The First and Second Opium Wars
America, French Empire
Boxer Rebellion
Japan, Russia, France, America, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary
WWI
France, Russia, Italy, America, Serbia, Belgium, Japan, the Commonwealth, and others
WWII
Poland, Canada, Indian Empire, Australia, France, Belgium, South Africa, New Zealand, Nepal, Norway, Greece, Soviet Union, America, China
Korean War
South Korea, United Nations Forces
Suez Crisis
France, Israel
Gulf War
Kuwait, America, Saudi Arabia, France, Egypt, Syria
Kosovo War
America, France, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy
Fourth Anglo-Afghan War
America
Iraq War
America, Poland, Denmark, others
Enemies:
War of the Spanish Succession
France, Spain, Hungary
War of the Austrian Succession
France, Prussia, Spain, Sweden
Seven Years’ War
France, Holy Roman Empire, Russian Empire, Sweden, Spain
American War of Independence
America, France, Spain, Dutch Republic
War of the First Coalition
France
War of the Second Coalition
France, Spain
War of the Third Coalition
France, Italy, Spain
War of the Fourth Coalition
French Empire, Italy, Spain, Swiss Confederation
Anglo-Russian War
Russian Empire
War of the Fifth Coalition
French Empire, Confederation of the Rhine, Kingdom of Italy, Swiss Confederation, Holland
War of 1812
America
Hundred Days
French Empire
Greek War of Independence
Ottoman Empire, Egypt
Crimean War
Russian Empire, Bulgaria
The First and Second Opium Wars
China
Boxer Rebellion
China
WWI
Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire
War of Irish Independence
Irish Republic
WWII
Germany, Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Romania, Finland, Thailand
Korean War
North Korea, China, Soviet Union
Suez Crisis
Egypt
Falklands War
Argentina
Kosovo War
Yugoslavia
Gulf War
Iraq
Fourth Anglo-Afghan War
Afghanistan
Iraq War
Iraq
Sample Post: Ditchley, Oxfordshire – December, 1940
"These are not dark days; these are great days - the greatest days our country has ever lived." – Winston Churchill
He pushed his hands wearily up over his face, driving into sweat-dampened hair. He was reading reports, he’d told the Prime Minister, just to get away from that airless room and those somber, lined faces. And so he was. But Arthur Kirkland didn't need reports to tell him the situation was dire.
What a pity Churchill’s indignant letter to Roosevelt had been censored by those nattering, subservient fools in the foreign office. He certainly hadn’t bothered to be gracious in his own letter to Alfred…Goddamnit, boy, there is no more money… The child (it was difficult not to think of him as a child) was still so proudly naïve. Perhaps he enjoyed making demands, playing the games reserved for those with power and money, watching the Old World twist and snap. (Poor moment for games, love.) Perhaps he was more like his former mentor than either of them had thought—although he certainly wouldn’t appreciate being told so. Arthur resolved to add it to his next letter. He’d watched the Old World burn a hundred times, hadn’t he?—had burned with it and delighted. And now, here he was; he’d said “please” to his former property.
( Please…You insufferable, pigheaded bastard, is this what you wanted? )
He flipped one of the pages and scrutinized the back of it. The room slipped and he pulled it back with a hiss of irritation. How to make himself useful? The Prime Minister had insisted on bringing him to Ditchley, as if that would improve things. It was simply impossible to explain to a human being, even one as shrewd as Churchill, that he really couldn’t leave London if he wanted to, and he might as well be there to shift rubble. In the end, he’d been reduced to telling an aide, rather crossly, that he’d rather go to Chequers, anyway—and yes he knew the area was vulnerable. His ears roared, whirred with sirens, and he pressed the pads of his thumbs into his eyes. Yes, he knew the situation was dire…
Slick palms and dry lips…chills and fever-dreams. It was like looking at the world through distorted glass; a blurred view of things beyond the ever-present flicker at the corners of his eyes—London, burning.
“Alfred” he scrawled at last, hand shaking. None of the things he could have said. Not Dear Alfred or My Beloved Alfred or You Goddamn Self-Absorbed Son-of-a— Now, now, no need to upset himself over a letter he’d burn when he was sober. His fingers closed around the neck of the bottle and he poured himself another glass.
When had he become such a figure for melodrama? He almost laughed—half-drunk and thinking tragic thoughts to himself over something that could have been written by a jilted lover. God help him if Germany caught him like this. First order of business in the event of a German invasion: hide the gin and burn the letters he should have burned a long time ago.
He strolled to the window, glass in hand, humming. Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves. Britons never, never will be slaves! Yes, there was something invigorating in facing his own imminent destruction with the old cavalier frame of mind.
Destruction? Hardly. He stared idly at his reflection and deemed it a little better than perfectly frightful. Better than expected. Hollow cheeks and bruise-blue shadows beneath his eyes, which glinted too brightly. A giddy-desperate-fearful joy.
Francis, you fool, where are you now? His reflection’s mouth twisted into something that resembled a smile. Mourning his navy, no doubt, the idiot. He’d never thought he’d think fondly (anxiously) of Francis. He’d never thought a lot of things—which surprised him, given how many centuries he’d had to think.
“The nations, not so blest as thee, must, in their turns, to tyrants fall; while thou shalt flourish great and free, the dread and envy of them all,” he sang under his breath, the same heady, exhilarating fear welling up. He looked back at the desk, at the impulsively scribbled word. The bottle was empty. Well, blast.
"Still more majestic shalt thou rise, more dreadful, from each foreign stroke; as the loud blast that tears the skies serves but to root thy native oak," came the low, buzzing murmur of his Prime Minister’s voice from the adjacent room. England’s lip quirked upward as he settled back into his chair. Even well past midnight, he hadn’t expected Winston Churchill to be asleep.
He joined the chorus in a hoarse whisper, “Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rules the waves. Britons never, never—” A searing stab of heat below his breastbone. He jerked and coughed into his fist with a hissed oath.
“—never, never will be slaves!”
On the backs of his eyelids—London, burning.
Did you read the rules and Dark Reflections Canon? …If I say yes, can I have some of that Italian Pasta?
Random fun fact about yourself:
I’m a bit of an Anglophile. No, really. ^.^
I also have absolutely no idea what I’m doing, having never applied to a roleplay of this caliber before. Oh, and I’m really more of an Austrophile. …No, I didn’t just make that word up because the English language needs a word for an unhealthy obsession with Austrian culture, theatre, and conspiracy theories.