Post by meadowlark on Sept 10, 2011 4:42:07 GMT -5
Name: Arthur Kirkland
Aliases: England, Albion, Great Britain, Artie (though he hates it), Britain, UK
Age: 1084 if asked for his true age he’ll often state that he came into being sometime around 927 when England first became a united state, but in reality it was likely as far back as the early 700s during the Anglo-Saxon period, perhaps even earlier toward the end of the Roman occupation he’s very vague on the whole thing. He looks to be about 23. His behavior tends to swap between an older man with experience and a young man in his 20s.
Build: 5’9” 140lbs, Arthur is of average height and average weight. All told, his build is unremarkable and he’s more than happy about that. He has moments of missing when he stood out, but he knows he has distinguishing characteristics besides his size, and just because he’s average doesn’t mean he can’t pack a punch.
Where do they live: Arthur has a small, single-bedroom apartment not far from the nations’ meeting place. It’s simply though tastefully furnished and has a decent view of the wall of the next building. He uses a lot of “natural light” light bulbs, since he has difficulty getting sunlight at the apartment. He’s considering eventually getting a nicer place, but he’s still feeling a little too thrifty for that at this point.
Eyes: Bright green
Hair: His blond hair is a bit shaggy and hangs down almost into his green eyes, coming close to covering his rather extremely large eyebrows. Unfortunately since his hair is blond and his eyebrows are black it doesn’t do as good a job as he used to wish it would.
Scars: Arthur’s body is riddled with scars. As a nation it’s normal to acquire several over the course of one’s existence. Notable ones that mark his body are whip marks across his back following the subjugation of his people during the Norman Conquest, a scar under his right arm left from a plague mark, a scar from a sword on his left arm that he received during the Hundred Year’s War (it prevented him from drawing a bow for quite a while), the Battle of Trafalgar left him with a gunshot wound scar on his shoulder and the Blitz left him with a large burn scar, starting over his heart (covering the one he received during the bombing of London during WW1) and trailing down toward his lower abdomen. The scars that came from his own people stand out more, to him anyhow, than all the rest. The English Civil War left a jagged white scar in the small of his back which starts there and traces part way up his spine, while the War of the Roses left scars on either side of his waist, the left one caused by one house and the right one caused by the other.
Attire: Arthur, when not in uniform, has several favorite outfits for different situations. He’s never quite shaken the habit he picked up during the Victorian era of having clothes for different situations that one might encounter throughout the day, though he’s finally lessened it a good deal. He owns a black suit and several colored ties to go with it—all of his tie tacks are two roses twined round one another. For situations where a suit is too much he has slacks, dress shirts and pull-over jumpers (sweaters). The sweaters are in blue, red, or uniform green depending on his mood. His least formal outfit is actually a pair of well-worn blue jeans and an old band t-shirt, but he rarely wears this, preferring the look of being a gentleman.
Accessories: Arthur carries an old button which bears his crest and can be found fiddling with it from time to time, especially when nervous. Even if it’s not visible that he’s toying with it, he carries it in his pocket where it’s in easy reach.
WOC: Arthur's greatest weapon is his magic. There are several facets to it, and it is heavily rooted in deep study over centuries. There are some spells and magics that require the goodwill of the Spirits and the Faeries, but neither do anything without a cost to the magician, so he uses these rarely if at all.
His magics include such things as communication with the Faeries of both courts, some scrying (though he can never guarantee the accuracy of this and uses it rarely as often he finds he scrys only destruction), and alchemy in every sense of the word.
He also practices incantations. He has a grimoire, but doesn't use it as much in recent years as he used to. The problem with incantations is that they are under the same laws as the world. Newton's Third Law applies to magic as well: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. There's no predicting what the reaction of the spell will be, especially if it does what the magician wants it to. There is a cost for every use of magic, and sometimes it is high. In Arthur's case, the darker the spell the more violent the cost.
On a more practical level, Arthur carries a small knife on his person when he’s about on the streets. It takes less time than a spell and he knows well how to use it.
Appearance: Arthur is pretty average all around. He’s taller than some, and shorter than some, and his weight is average for his build. He makes sure to keep himself in decent shape, but could hardly be called muscular. His only truly distinguishing feature is a pair of thick black eyebrows that contrast too much with his blond hair for him to be able to hide them with his longish bangs. His green eyes are constantly attentive to his surroundings but occasionally disappear under his eyebrows when he scowls. His clothes are always well pressed when they need to be, with the creases in just the right place, but his outfits themselves (excepting his suit and uniform) tend to look almost thrown together. He often simply gets out of bed and throws clothes on—he likes his sleep and so sets his alarm as late as possible.
Personality: Arthur is a nation who prefers to keep himself to himself. To do this he puts up walls and makes sure to appear cold to those who initially approach him. It takes a lot of time, but if you can gain his trust and his friendship he is loyal. Woe betide you should you break that trust though. Any vulnerability he’s allowed himself he will promptly see as a weakness and if you hope to try and build that friendship again it’ll be even more difficult.
If he lets someone get close and past that harsh exterior of scathing criticism, temper, and stand-offishness, he really does turn out to be mostly bark. He has the ability to "bite" but would rather look for more diplomatic ways to solve things. He can be gentle when he wants, but he very rarely wants to. He’s been burned enough times that he’s more likely to put up walls and retreat unless it’s beneficial to him to do otherwise. He can be very blunt when it comes to his opinions, and he’s often willing to supply them.
He’s stubborn, rather bulldog-like in his tenacity. If he’s latched onto an idea or an ideal he’s unlikely to go against it without strongly persuasive arguments from the opposite side. And even then he’s more likely to ignore them until such time as he can pretend it was his own idea to change his mind.
He’s sarcastic, sharp-tongued when it comes to his critique of others. He is ver conscious of the image of a proper gentleman and so does his best to keep his manners in place, but more often than not they slip and when they do he really doesn’t give a damn what you think of what he says.
Arthur is a bit nostalgic. He misses the innocence and yes perhaps naïveté that he had at one time, though it is only a distant memory.
He has a good deal of ruthlessness left over from his Pirate days, though he rarely lets it show. He is quick to take offense, and quicker to respond to it. He has a temper and is more than slightly inclined to lash out when it's active.
Special skills: He plays the harp well and is still very good with a bow and arrow. He can calculate an accurate trajectory in his head, give or take about an inch and a half in any direction.
Weaknesses: Arthur likes to consider himself free of weakness, but emotionally he is vulnerable when any harm befalls those he cares about, and there are a surprising number of people/nations that are in that category.
His magic also holds weaknesses. If it is a magic that relies on the actions and good will of Faeries it can be easily stopped by iron and steel just as the Faeries can. His own magic is also heavily dependent on the fickleness of the spirits and he tends to have a failing when the spells he would use would do harm to others. He can utilize the magic to aid others at a cost to himself, but the chances of cursing another and having it stick are far slimmer.
Fears: Loss (of others, in battle, of himself), drowning (for a nation that lived with the sea for so long it seems a strange fear, but it’s one that haunts him, especially as he knows that he can’t truly die)
Likes: Scotch, but doesn’t drink it very often for a few reasons. The biggest one is that he can't hold his liquor very well: more than two glasses tends to make him talk more than he cares for. There are times in his history that he's indulged in greater amounts, but these days he curbs that inclination.
Classic rock music. He refuses to specify his favorite artists, an tends to listen to the genre pretty indiscriminately.
Celtic music. Though he's often loathe to admit it, he loves the music of his brothers. The fiddle music especially, but there's something haunting about some of the Celtic songs when sung.
The sea. He has a love for the sea, and a strong respect for the power of it. It's not for nothing he was the greatest naval power for many years. The sea was his life, his home, and his protection against invasion.
A good book. He's particularly fond of the romantics, but enjoys modern novels as well. He will defend Shakespeare with everything he's got, though he has very distinct opinions that run counter to his argument when it comes to the Bard's "histories." The rest of the plays he enjoys, and recalls fondly time spent actually speaking with the poet about them.
Dislikes: His inability to cook. He is in fact aware that he can’t cook, he just doesn’t let on about that. He’s certainly more aware of this than many may think. He does however make delicious fish and chips. Beyond that though he knows he's lacking in what most consider the culinary department. His awareness of it and his dislike of his inability doesn't keep him from foisting his concoctions off on others regardless.
Mention of his brothers. He still holds a grudge regarding their treatment of him when they were younger. Mixed in with that, is a sense of guilt. He knows that as the representation of Great Britain he speaks for all of them and he had made quick work of conquering them when he was finally strong enough. The guilt doesn’t show up much, but it is present.
Glorification of war. War is hell.
Fire. Ever since the Blitz, Arthur has avoided open flame as much as he possibly can.
Coffee. He remembers how rare tea was in the Victorian era, and now wonders how he ever survived without it. He’d much prefer a cup of earl grey tea, or frankly just about any tea to the bitterness of coffee. He’ll submit himself to coffee only when there is no other option. And even then it's more a case of "would you like a little coffee with your cream and sugar."
Mention of Elizabeth I with anything less than respect. He still holds great affection for the "Virgin Queen" though he refuses to admit whether they were lovers or not. The respect she showed him as her nation was enough for him to still honor her memory.
History: History of England History of the United Kingdom
1066--Norman Invasion--It was not the first time England had to deal with invaders in his relatively short life, but it was one of the first conflicts with the nation over the Channel. To have his rulers subjugated and his ruling class speaking French added insult to injury and he took far too much pleasure when they finally acknowledged him as their country--as the common people had been doing for some time.
1194—With so many kings having sat upon the throne of England it is difficult for the nation to choose his least favorite. One that he took a long time to forgive was Richard I (Richard the Lionheart). The man would have made a better king if he hadn’t been crusading all the livelong day. And then, as part of a ransom for his freedom, the king made his country a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. England had been a sovereign state until this time, and the indignity of it was a long time in fading.
Hundred Year’s War—Arthur currently holds little feeling regarding this war. It is not a memory he favors, but so much has happened since it. He has days where he regrets the death of Jeanne d’Arc, but it’s in the past and he knows that it made sense to him at the time.
1455—Following the end of the Hundred Year’s War, England’s current king had a mental breakdown that lasted for over a year giving ample time for the nobles to get out of control again. The War of the Roses was not the largest internal conflict that the country suffered, but it was notable. Arthur has taken to always being sure he has a white rose and a red rose in any arrangement rather than just one or the other. The conflict is long over, but the remembered pain and the lack of monarchial control have leant themselves to this small superstition on his part.
Of all his kings that Arthur has difficulty looking back on without even the slightest sympathy, Henry VIII ranks high on that list. Not only did the man declare two beautiful princesses to be bastards and (either directly or indirectly) kill more than half of his wives, the conflict that arose out of the rule that continued to engulf the nation for years was enough to make Arthur come very close to hating his ruler.
Following the death of Henry’s son in 1553 and the ascension of Mary I to the throne, Arthur could do nothing but grieve the loss of his people for the remainder of her reign. He had desperately hoped that the memory of her father’s reign would keep Mary from the same paranoia and bloodshed. It was not to be. Mary I—better known as Bloody Mary—executed dozens of people, her nation having to stand by and watch and feel the terror of his citizens. He grieved for her as he had every ruler before her, but it was far less, as his people grieved less.
With Elizabeth I’s rise to power a new age dawned for the nation. It was during this era that England says that he came into his own, and truly claims to have loved his monarch. England thrived, and spent much of his time on the sea during this time. He loved it and reveled in this era, even if he looks back and says he would prefer the state of the world now. When Elizabeth died he grieved, not as a nation, but as a man who has lost a love, and a person who has lost a friend.
The American Revolution is a sore spot with him. When drunk he will rail about it, but the point that hurt the most at the time was the loss of his younger brother—feeling that he had somehow failed him. These days he looks back on it as the point at which he turned his attention elsewhere and was able to better concentrate on the formation of the rest of the British Empire. He is proud of many of the accomplishments of Alfred, though he is loathe to admit it out loud, and knows that without that Revolution, the younger nation likely never would have reached the potential he has.
Love Interest: He’s had several relationships over the centuries, he’s a nation after all, but he can’t genuinely call them love (or he won’t). Some say he was in love with/married to Elizabeth I, but he refuses to either confirm or deny that. He’s currently unattached in that department.
Quotes: Not at the moment
Theme Song: White Rose, Bow to the Crown
Mythology: Wikipedia’s compendium of things related to English mythology. I’ll work more thoroughly as I go along, but this is one of the most extensive collections I’ve seen which includes both the mythical creatures and the Anglo-Saxon mythology as well.
Code: Springgreen
((Code removed by admin))
Aliases: England, Albion, Great Britain, Artie (though he hates it), Britain, UK
Age: 1084 if asked for his true age he’ll often state that he came into being sometime around 927 when England first became a united state, but in reality it was likely as far back as the early 700s during the Anglo-Saxon period, perhaps even earlier toward the end of the Roman occupation he’s very vague on the whole thing. He looks to be about 23. His behavior tends to swap between an older man with experience and a young man in his 20s.
Build: 5’9” 140lbs, Arthur is of average height and average weight. All told, his build is unremarkable and he’s more than happy about that. He has moments of missing when he stood out, but he knows he has distinguishing characteristics besides his size, and just because he’s average doesn’t mean he can’t pack a punch.
Where do they live: Arthur has a small, single-bedroom apartment not far from the nations’ meeting place. It’s simply though tastefully furnished and has a decent view of the wall of the next building. He uses a lot of “natural light” light bulbs, since he has difficulty getting sunlight at the apartment. He’s considering eventually getting a nicer place, but he’s still feeling a little too thrifty for that at this point.
Eyes: Bright green
Hair: His blond hair is a bit shaggy and hangs down almost into his green eyes, coming close to covering his rather extremely large eyebrows. Unfortunately since his hair is blond and his eyebrows are black it doesn’t do as good a job as he used to wish it would.
Scars: Arthur’s body is riddled with scars. As a nation it’s normal to acquire several over the course of one’s existence. Notable ones that mark his body are whip marks across his back following the subjugation of his people during the Norman Conquest, a scar under his right arm left from a plague mark, a scar from a sword on his left arm that he received during the Hundred Year’s War (it prevented him from drawing a bow for quite a while), the Battle of Trafalgar left him with a gunshot wound scar on his shoulder and the Blitz left him with a large burn scar, starting over his heart (covering the one he received during the bombing of London during WW1) and trailing down toward his lower abdomen. The scars that came from his own people stand out more, to him anyhow, than all the rest. The English Civil War left a jagged white scar in the small of his back which starts there and traces part way up his spine, while the War of the Roses left scars on either side of his waist, the left one caused by one house and the right one caused by the other.
Attire: Arthur, when not in uniform, has several favorite outfits for different situations. He’s never quite shaken the habit he picked up during the Victorian era of having clothes for different situations that one might encounter throughout the day, though he’s finally lessened it a good deal. He owns a black suit and several colored ties to go with it—all of his tie tacks are two roses twined round one another. For situations where a suit is too much he has slacks, dress shirts and pull-over jumpers (sweaters). The sweaters are in blue, red, or uniform green depending on his mood. His least formal outfit is actually a pair of well-worn blue jeans and an old band t-shirt, but he rarely wears this, preferring the look of being a gentleman.
Accessories: Arthur carries an old button which bears his crest and can be found fiddling with it from time to time, especially when nervous. Even if it’s not visible that he’s toying with it, he carries it in his pocket where it’s in easy reach.
WOC: Arthur's greatest weapon is his magic. There are several facets to it, and it is heavily rooted in deep study over centuries. There are some spells and magics that require the goodwill of the Spirits and the Faeries, but neither do anything without a cost to the magician, so he uses these rarely if at all.
His magics include such things as communication with the Faeries of both courts, some scrying (though he can never guarantee the accuracy of this and uses it rarely as often he finds he scrys only destruction), and alchemy in every sense of the word.
He also practices incantations. He has a grimoire, but doesn't use it as much in recent years as he used to. The problem with incantations is that they are under the same laws as the world. Newton's Third Law applies to magic as well: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. There's no predicting what the reaction of the spell will be, especially if it does what the magician wants it to. There is a cost for every use of magic, and sometimes it is high. In Arthur's case, the darker the spell the more violent the cost.
On a more practical level, Arthur carries a small knife on his person when he’s about on the streets. It takes less time than a spell and he knows well how to use it.
Appearance: Arthur is pretty average all around. He’s taller than some, and shorter than some, and his weight is average for his build. He makes sure to keep himself in decent shape, but could hardly be called muscular. His only truly distinguishing feature is a pair of thick black eyebrows that contrast too much with his blond hair for him to be able to hide them with his longish bangs. His green eyes are constantly attentive to his surroundings but occasionally disappear under his eyebrows when he scowls. His clothes are always well pressed when they need to be, with the creases in just the right place, but his outfits themselves (excepting his suit and uniform) tend to look almost thrown together. He often simply gets out of bed and throws clothes on—he likes his sleep and so sets his alarm as late as possible.
Personality: Arthur is a nation who prefers to keep himself to himself. To do this he puts up walls and makes sure to appear cold to those who initially approach him. It takes a lot of time, but if you can gain his trust and his friendship he is loyal. Woe betide you should you break that trust though. Any vulnerability he’s allowed himself he will promptly see as a weakness and if you hope to try and build that friendship again it’ll be even more difficult.
If he lets someone get close and past that harsh exterior of scathing criticism, temper, and stand-offishness, he really does turn out to be mostly bark. He has the ability to "bite" but would rather look for more diplomatic ways to solve things. He can be gentle when he wants, but he very rarely wants to. He’s been burned enough times that he’s more likely to put up walls and retreat unless it’s beneficial to him to do otherwise. He can be very blunt when it comes to his opinions, and he’s often willing to supply them.
He’s stubborn, rather bulldog-like in his tenacity. If he’s latched onto an idea or an ideal he’s unlikely to go against it without strongly persuasive arguments from the opposite side. And even then he’s more likely to ignore them until such time as he can pretend it was his own idea to change his mind.
He’s sarcastic, sharp-tongued when it comes to his critique of others. He is ver conscious of the image of a proper gentleman and so does his best to keep his manners in place, but more often than not they slip and when they do he really doesn’t give a damn what you think of what he says.
Arthur is a bit nostalgic. He misses the innocence and yes perhaps naïveté that he had at one time, though it is only a distant memory.
He has a good deal of ruthlessness left over from his Pirate days, though he rarely lets it show. He is quick to take offense, and quicker to respond to it. He has a temper and is more than slightly inclined to lash out when it's active.
Special skills: He plays the harp well and is still very good with a bow and arrow. He can calculate an accurate trajectory in his head, give or take about an inch and a half in any direction.
Weaknesses: Arthur likes to consider himself free of weakness, but emotionally he is vulnerable when any harm befalls those he cares about, and there are a surprising number of people/nations that are in that category.
His magic also holds weaknesses. If it is a magic that relies on the actions and good will of Faeries it can be easily stopped by iron and steel just as the Faeries can. His own magic is also heavily dependent on the fickleness of the spirits and he tends to have a failing when the spells he would use would do harm to others. He can utilize the magic to aid others at a cost to himself, but the chances of cursing another and having it stick are far slimmer.
Fears: Loss (of others, in battle, of himself), drowning (for a nation that lived with the sea for so long it seems a strange fear, but it’s one that haunts him, especially as he knows that he can’t truly die)
Likes: Scotch, but doesn’t drink it very often for a few reasons. The biggest one is that he can't hold his liquor very well: more than two glasses tends to make him talk more than he cares for. There are times in his history that he's indulged in greater amounts, but these days he curbs that inclination.
Classic rock music. He refuses to specify his favorite artists, an tends to listen to the genre pretty indiscriminately.
Celtic music. Though he's often loathe to admit it, he loves the music of his brothers. The fiddle music especially, but there's something haunting about some of the Celtic songs when sung.
The sea. He has a love for the sea, and a strong respect for the power of it. It's not for nothing he was the greatest naval power for many years. The sea was his life, his home, and his protection against invasion.
A good book. He's particularly fond of the romantics, but enjoys modern novels as well. He will defend Shakespeare with everything he's got, though he has very distinct opinions that run counter to his argument when it comes to the Bard's "histories." The rest of the plays he enjoys, and recalls fondly time spent actually speaking with the poet about them.
Dislikes: His inability to cook. He is in fact aware that he can’t cook, he just doesn’t let on about that. He’s certainly more aware of this than many may think. He does however make delicious fish and chips. Beyond that though he knows he's lacking in what most consider the culinary department. His awareness of it and his dislike of his inability doesn't keep him from foisting his concoctions off on others regardless.
Mention of his brothers. He still holds a grudge regarding their treatment of him when they were younger. Mixed in with that, is a sense of guilt. He knows that as the representation of Great Britain he speaks for all of them and he had made quick work of conquering them when he was finally strong enough. The guilt doesn’t show up much, but it is present.
Glorification of war. War is hell.
Fire. Ever since the Blitz, Arthur has avoided open flame as much as he possibly can.
Coffee. He remembers how rare tea was in the Victorian era, and now wonders how he ever survived without it. He’d much prefer a cup of earl grey tea, or frankly just about any tea to the bitterness of coffee. He’ll submit himself to coffee only when there is no other option. And even then it's more a case of "would you like a little coffee with your cream and sugar."
Mention of Elizabeth I with anything less than respect. He still holds great affection for the "Virgin Queen" though he refuses to admit whether they were lovers or not. The respect she showed him as her nation was enough for him to still honor her memory.
History: History of England History of the United Kingdom
1066--Norman Invasion--It was not the first time England had to deal with invaders in his relatively short life, but it was one of the first conflicts with the nation over the Channel. To have his rulers subjugated and his ruling class speaking French added insult to injury and he took far too much pleasure when they finally acknowledged him as their country--as the common people had been doing for some time.
1194—With so many kings having sat upon the throne of England it is difficult for the nation to choose his least favorite. One that he took a long time to forgive was Richard I (Richard the Lionheart). The man would have made a better king if he hadn’t been crusading all the livelong day. And then, as part of a ransom for his freedom, the king made his country a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. England had been a sovereign state until this time, and the indignity of it was a long time in fading.
Hundred Year’s War—Arthur currently holds little feeling regarding this war. It is not a memory he favors, but so much has happened since it. He has days where he regrets the death of Jeanne d’Arc, but it’s in the past and he knows that it made sense to him at the time.
1455—Following the end of the Hundred Year’s War, England’s current king had a mental breakdown that lasted for over a year giving ample time for the nobles to get out of control again. The War of the Roses was not the largest internal conflict that the country suffered, but it was notable. Arthur has taken to always being sure he has a white rose and a red rose in any arrangement rather than just one or the other. The conflict is long over, but the remembered pain and the lack of monarchial control have leant themselves to this small superstition on his part.
Of all his kings that Arthur has difficulty looking back on without even the slightest sympathy, Henry VIII ranks high on that list. Not only did the man declare two beautiful princesses to be bastards and (either directly or indirectly) kill more than half of his wives, the conflict that arose out of the rule that continued to engulf the nation for years was enough to make Arthur come very close to hating his ruler.
Following the death of Henry’s son in 1553 and the ascension of Mary I to the throne, Arthur could do nothing but grieve the loss of his people for the remainder of her reign. He had desperately hoped that the memory of her father’s reign would keep Mary from the same paranoia and bloodshed. It was not to be. Mary I—better known as Bloody Mary—executed dozens of people, her nation having to stand by and watch and feel the terror of his citizens. He grieved for her as he had every ruler before her, but it was far less, as his people grieved less.
With Elizabeth I’s rise to power a new age dawned for the nation. It was during this era that England says that he came into his own, and truly claims to have loved his monarch. England thrived, and spent much of his time on the sea during this time. He loved it and reveled in this era, even if he looks back and says he would prefer the state of the world now. When Elizabeth died he grieved, not as a nation, but as a man who has lost a love, and a person who has lost a friend.
The American Revolution is a sore spot with him. When drunk he will rail about it, but the point that hurt the most at the time was the loss of his younger brother—feeling that he had somehow failed him. These days he looks back on it as the point at which he turned his attention elsewhere and was able to better concentrate on the formation of the rest of the British Empire. He is proud of many of the accomplishments of Alfred, though he is loathe to admit it out loud, and knows that without that Revolution, the younger nation likely never would have reached the potential he has.
Love Interest: He’s had several relationships over the centuries, he’s a nation after all, but he can’t genuinely call them love (or he won’t). Some say he was in love with/married to Elizabeth I, but he refuses to either confirm or deny that. He’s currently unattached in that department.
Quotes: Not at the moment
Theme Song: White Rose, Bow to the Crown
Mythology: Wikipedia’s compendium of things related to English mythology. I’ll work more thoroughly as I go along, but this is one of the most extensive collections I’ve seen which includes both the mythical creatures and the Anglo-Saxon mythology as well.
Code: Springgreen
((Code removed by admin))
