I feel like I’m the only one in the world who ships AsaKiku 😔 At this point I’m like 89% AsaKiku so please accept my attempts to make it popular with these AUs I came up with
- Domestic Au (also known as my entire existence)
- Pirate/Ninja Au (because this is the default for the rest of the fandom apparently)
- Coffee shop Au (because every ship has to have one)
- Pokémon Au (because why not)
- Vampire Au (because why not)
- Parent Au (because I feel they’d both make excellent moms- I mean dads)
- Hospital Au (in which Arthur is a doctor and Kiku is also a doctor)
- Pop/Rock Star Au (because vocaloid would suit them well I think)
A lot of people ask me what my biggest fear is, or what scares me most. And I know they expect an answer like heights, or closed spaces, or people dressed like animals, but how do I tell them that when I was 17 I took a class called Relationships For Life and I learned that most people fall out of love for the same reasons they fell in it. That their lover’s once endearing stubbornness has now become refusal to compromise and their one track mind is now immaturity and their bad habits that you once adored is now money down the drain. Their spontaneity becomes reckless and irresponsible and their feet up on your dash is no longer sexy, just another distraction in your busy life.
Nothing saddens and scares me like the thought that I can become ugly to someone who once thought all the stars were in my eyes.
I never expected this to be my most popular poem out of the hundreds I’ve written. I was extremely bitter and sad when I wrote this and I left out the most beautiful part of that class.
After my teacher introduced us to this theory, she asked us, “is love a feeling? Or is it a choice?” We were all a bunch of teenagers. Naturally we said it was a feeling. She said that if we clung to that belief, we’d never have a lasting relationship of any sort.
She made us interview a dozen adults who were or had been married and we asked them about their marriages and why it lasted or why it failed. At the end, I asked every single person if love was an emotion or a choice.
Everybody said that it was a choice. It was a conscious commitment. It was something you choose to make work every day with a person who has chosen the same thing. They all said that at one point in their marriage, the “feeling of love” had vanished or faded and they weren’t happy. They said feelings are always changing and you cannot build something that will last on such a shaky foundation.
The married ones said that when things were bad, they chose to open the communication, chose to identify what broke and how to fix it, and chose to recreate something worth falling in love with.
The divorced ones said they chose to walk away.
Ever since that class, since that project, I never looked at relationships the same way. I understood why arranged marriages were successful. I discovered the difference in feelings and commitments. I’ve never gone for the person who makes my heart flutter or my head spin. I’ve chosen the people who were committed to choosing me, dedicated to finding something to adore even on the ugliest days.
I no longer fear the day someone who swore I was their universe can no longer see the stars in my eyes as long as they still choose to look until they find them again.
clicking on ‘callout posts’ here is wild because there’s like, a 90% chance it’ll be something like ‘they once reblogged a post from someone who follows someone who drew amethyst as white’ and a 10% chance that it will be like ‘stole a human being’s kidney in an alleyway’
honestly though there is something very deeply and sincerely odd about making posts or google docs or entire blogs linking screenshots of every slightly questionable thing a person has ever said, sometimes stretching back to their early teenage years, and using this as a sign that they are a Deeply Bad Person and that anyone in their radius is tainted by being in their presence. like. this is abnormal behaviour, folks.
some of you will make post after post about the importance of kindness and community and then suicide bait someone for using a questionable word a decade ago when they were thirteen years old and i need you to understand that you are not the good guy in these interactions
“Ship” this, and “ship” that, let’s talk about some Hetalia FRIENDships:
Germany & America: I adore this friendship. They’re both so young when compared to the other nations. They’re also the perfect blend of pragmatism and idealist. Alfred dreams up schemes and Germany figures out the logistics.
France & England: Ship aside, I also love this dynamic as ride or die best friends. Tell me France wouldn’t be a good wingman. Tell me they wouldn’t get drunk together and compliment each other. Tell me they wouldn’t recommend each other books and pass them back and forth, filling the margins with notes.
Canada & America: The best bros. They pretty much embody the brothers dynamic to me, joking around, teasing, and speaking their own language between the two of them. Frequently seen wresting and planning shenanigans. The one who is most privy to the other’s whole personality.
Russia & Canada: I LOVE these two as friends. They probably play hockey together and then go inside to knit next to a fire. They probably spend time complaining about America and enjoying the novelty of calm, quiet company. Soft.
America & Italy: These two are both so bubbly and extraverted. They should be friends! They would get along so well! They would hype each other up, you know, the way two energetic people tend to. They would laugh at all of the other’s jokes.
Germany & Italy & Japan: How could I not mention these three? I love this trio! I love each of these pieces individually as friends, too, like Germany & Japan, Japan & Italy, Germany & Italy, also, but they make such a fun trio in the way their personalities balance each other.
France & Russia: Thb, unnarrated friendship. I can see these two talking about the ballet, talking about theatre and music for hours. Also Russia’s unshakable personality pairs well with France’s sense of melodrama.
France & Spain & Prussia: Three relatively competent people coming together to form a group of dumbasses. No common sense when put together. 11/10 what’s not to love.
Prussia & Romano: Sure, Prussia likes the bright and pretty N. Italy, but he vibes better with the brutally honest style of Romano. They’d likely see each other with the frequency Germany sees Italy, and I think they’d be good at teasing each other with just the right amount of truth to it.
Prussia & Hungary: They’ve been friends forever! Who knows him better than she does? Always good for calling him out. 10/10. Definitely best friends.
England & Italy: Also underrated friendship. England is just charmed enough by Italy that his shrewdness doesn’t bother Feliciano when it comes to both of them being cunning. Seriously. Give it a try, it might surprise you.
America & Japan: These two are very fun. They have video games and a love of pop culture in common: someone Japan can relax around a be a little more childish than he allows himself normally.
China & Japan: But you know what? It’s not all about acting childish. Sometimes you want someone to understand that you are, in fact, an old man at heart. Two old men talking about the past and having tea. Who else is going to give you an honest review of your cooking?
Russia & China: When not a ship, they’d also make good friends. China and Russia would compliment each other when trying to get things done, and they both have the same kind of weariness about them when it comes to life. Tho China is good for Russia, he pushes him to try new things.
Yeah like. No one is a natural born artist. Its all about learning and working. You can do it without even actively practicing. I've gotten better at drawing cloud just by LOOKING at clouds.
This—
Is from at least 2015. I was 14/15 years old using the Soul Eater manga I was reading online as reference. Its not good but its not bad either.
And this—
Is from as recently as 2 weeks ago. All from observing people and the expressions around me. And then I just practiced what I learned in daily life. Appiled things I learned how to do such as exaggeration.
You dont have to wish you could draw. You can do it now. Everyone is an artist waiting to happen. It doesn't matter how old you are, you can start drawing whenever and draw whatever you want. Do what makes you happy! Don't worry about if its good because it is. Have fun, dont worry about skill level!
did you watch any tutorial to learn how to draw when you first started? do you have any tips for beginning artists? i don’t really know how to start and my artists friends told me to “figure it out myself”.
Here’s another thing for day 7 of @historical-hetalia-week, which probably fits with the theme of “opulence.” February was also LGBT+ history month in the UK, and I thought it’d be cute to put this out on Feb 28…but I ran short on time. I wrote an elaboration of a headcanon I have about male-identifying England/Arthur with decadent hobbies and having sexual relations with men in specifically the late 19th century. Kind of inspired by the view that despite the Victorians being apparently really prudish they were also very horny and kinky, which is maybe what foucault or someone like that contends. Mostly (somehow) inspired by the indisputable fact that Victorian pornography is fun. I discuss why, at this specific time period, England would have been doing gay despite it being crime, how he’d have felt about it, how this affected his relations with other European nations! Also includes a bit about colonialism and sexuality, the paradox of being a gay country, and friendship. Cw. period typical homophobia + internalized homophobia, and period typical racism.
—
1894. God forbid anybody who personally knew England finds him in the bar looking like this. Last night he’d seen groups of stylish young men sporting green carnation boutonnières at the opening of Lady Windermere’s Fan, and so this morning he bought a carnation watered with arsenic from Covent Garden to affix to his own green velveteen coat. It was said that the green carnation boutonniere was a fad of the Parisian homosexuals, noted degenerates. But he detected in these little arsenic flowers a hint of an exquisite life – he’d rather die than tell anybody, particularly France, that he thought that.
A song of young love, the idolization of feelings and letting those feelings bloom within us, enjoying the carefree sensation of wanting to be with this person everyday.
England — To Be So Lonely
A song about being selfish, prideful and hard to reach, never being able to say sorry or to reach out because of our ego and how we don’t want to be hurt by the people we love, due to our loneliness.
France — She.
A song about the barriers between what’s socially known as female and male. The invisible lines between both genders and questioning your own identity, playing with gender expression.
Japan — Ever Since New York
A song about cruel realization of what’s our reality, wanting to escape it in some way. Being tired of everything and everyone, trying to find a way to cope with our intense pain and loneliness.
Germany — Sweet Creature
A song about mature love and communicating our feelings. Love is not painful or something so intense that it destroy us, no, love is knowing you’ll be with each other no matter what and that you two are meant to be.
China — Sign of the Times
A song about self knowledge regarding reality. You know that things will never be easy or come without a risk, so you embrace it. No need to cry, accept this and enjoy life.
“I’ve seen the world, lit it up as my stage now. Channeling angels in, the new age now. Hot summer days, rich and roll. The way you’d play for me at your show, and all the way I got to know your pretty face and electric soul. Will you still love when I’m no longer young and beautiful?”
Italy.
“Sweet tea in the summer. Cross your heart, won’t tell no other, and though I can’t recall your face, I still got love for you. Your braids make a pattern, love you to the the Moon and to Saturn. Passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long.”
England.
“High achiever, don’t you see? Baby, nothing comes for free. They say I’m a control freak, driven by a greed to succeed. Nobody can stop me, ‘cause it’s my problem if I want to pack up and run away. It’s my problem, it’s my problem, if I feel the need to hide, and it’s my problem if I have no friends and feel I want to die.”
China
“I’m losing myself in the darkness of the world, catch me before I fall. Saving myself is all I really know, see it being done before. I’m a dynasty, the pain in my vein is hereditary. Dynasty, running in my bloodstream, my bloodstream.”
Japan
“I am the one who made it out! The one who always made he grade, but maybe I should have just stayed home. When I was a child I stayed wide awake, climbed to the highest place on every fire escape, restless to climb.”
I drew this on a whim but later on when I was doing research on public crying I found a cool book about the history of crying in Britain, and after reading it I was struck with some thoughts on how this famously stoic boy feels about having cries. I think I’ve come across a few headcanons about sadboy Arthur Kirkland, based on stereotypes of the attitudes English people generally have towards being emotional. I wanted to explore a bit on how the history of norms about the general expression of emotions have influenced how England would have comported himself throughout time… what entails is some discussion of savoury subjects such as masculinity, dependency and British insularity as well...
(Disclaimer: norms around emotions and their expressions are obviously gendered in a country like the UK, so this discussion will be only applicable to a male-identifying England. CW for mentions of colonialism.)
In the present day, England is likely to keep himself from putting on displays of tears in public. He’s self-aware of the stereotype of the English able to uphold a “stiff-upper lip” in trying circumstances, and to a degree, adheres to it himself. This articulation of the myth of English stoicism arose recently, crystallized in the public mind through the propaganda of the First and Second World Wars, and packaged as an export of a stereotype (America being the most eager consumer of this, always happy to construe anything British to a way to patronize England. As you can imagine, he comported himself as eternally carefree as a moral counterbalance to England’s anal agedness).
The later Victorian years preceded the synthesis of this stereotype, when the association of tears with weakness and foreignness antagonized their shedding by English men. As Britain was reaching the peak of global geopolitical dominance, the physical and mental conditions as well as characters of its men became a matter of national security. A boy whose upbringing did not involve a disciplining with the Stiff Upper Lip ethic would become a man that threatened the upholding of imperial activities. Though Arthur later became a bit more aware of how the norm of the Stiff Upper Lip spawned from this ideology, at the time it wasn’t a matter for questioning, given the alibis granted by scientific inquiry. Darwinism and psychiatry shaped anthropological theories of weeping, which were made available for use to identify a human society’s proximity to either primitivity or civility – English/British society’s supposed exceptional ability to strictly regulate emotional expression marked them as superior, most obviously to non-white (or non-WASP), colonised societies, as well as to other Europeans. The incapacity to restrain passions was in turn pathologized as “emotional incontinence.” During this time, Arthur was most extremely committed to the repression of tears as a matter of conforming to the Age of Reason. But the sought-for clever, unsentimental disposition came at the cost of pre-emptively devaluing empathy. Furnishing the imperial superiority complex with the view that fellow Europeans were more prone to emotional excess, island-hood came to represent independence from the need for friends rather than the inability to keep friends at all.
Around the close of the Victorian era, the intertwined agonies of loneliness and repression of empathy -- particularly poignant when witnessing his state calibrate its technologies to wage violence and inequality at home and abroad -- inclined Arthur to take seriously complaints about the British “undevelopment of the heart” coming from perspectives of the British cultural elite, many of whom were already critically exploring other social mores. Intellectually, he had a general awareness of the conventions that bound himself and the English people, specifically those who were middle class. Yet, even in circumstances where he was in a place of repose and privacy, with the opportunity to weep – e.g. when affected by the catharsis spurred by the climax of a tragic play, after a gruesome battle on a foreign land, after attempting to comfort a struggling family – he’d find that he couldn’t. At that point he could not even be affected by stories of child suffering -- which were archetypical of Victorian heartrending stories, and which once could have evoked some adequate tears from him when it was popular to be evoked as such. By that point, he’d been comfortable for too long being held captive to his idea of masculinity. Meanwhile, amongst his fellow semi- or fullblown-alcoholic European peers, he gained a reputation as a weepy drunk -- in spite of weepy drunkenness having been a sign of foreignness. Inebriation was an easy escape from those terrible scruples. His drinking companions would have little sympathy to afford England during those fits of incoherent, pity-and-alcohol-fuelled blubbings.
Only with the social upheaval following World War II could norms have the chance to slacken, at least relative to British standards, which by that point were world-famously tight as straitjackets. Psychiatric support for weeping, trickling in primarily from America, encouraged discussion, at least, that recognized that the Stiff Upper lip ethic would be obsolete in the post-war era. Tears provoked by passion no longer were obviously the symptoms of a national traitor. For instance, Arthur came to find release in partaking in collective tear-shedding at emotionally-charged football matches, or during events symbolic of the decline of his empire. Despite his roughly century-long period of restraint, engagement in public rehearsals of catharsis didn’t always come without embarrassment or strangeness.
The period of the stiff upper lip was one of the most hostile to tear-shedding, but prior to this, Arthur had a liberal understanding of what it meant to cry. Throughout history, English society had variously regarded crying as a pious act, or as an intellectual act of sympathy, or a pathetic display of paternal affection, etc.. And with centuries’ worth of “maturing,” having more interactions with other nations, and becoming more self-aware, it became more important to Arthur to take these norms seriously, and more tactfully regulate the expression of emotion. With the 16th century reformation, he learnt from Anti-Catholics to avoid certain forms of weeping that represented the blasphemous and excessive frivolities that Catholicism spoiled religious Christian practices with. (This strengthened the foundation for anti-Europe feeling, but also further justified the feeling of superiority over the Irish). In the aftermath of the French Revolution and the 25 years of war that came with it, a triumphant yet jaded England harboured a special disdain for the seeming unrestrained passion and sentimentality that characterized France’s revolutionary condition. Since the onset of the 19th century, the restraint of emotion would last, to varying degrees, as an aspect of a certain kind of cultural conservatism.
Especially with hindsight, England did appreciate that the correlations of weeping with weakness, effeminacy, foppery, self-indulgence, madness, primitiveness, or degeneration etc. were not natural, and were products of ideological interests. But, having harboured a lifelong insecurity as an island situated a stone’s throw away from an unpredictably violent continent, it tended to seem necessary to adopt any behaviour that could defend him from the machinations of the outside world. His overall habits to repress feelings would be a difficult habit to discard, mostly because he couldn’t be motivated enough to be rid of it anyway. This made it tricky for the unexpected moments when the need for catharsis became too much. The reflex to smother instances of agonised feeling could be discomfiting due to the obsolete moral value the habit stands for. He occasionally indulged in some weeping so long as it’s appropriate and in private, but the sense of comfort that resulted would now be alien too.
And in turn, he couldn’t help his continued alienation from others. While it became more normal to be sceptical of the Stiff Upper Lip’s place in the world post WWII, and Arthur adopted more liberal gender norms, he couldn’t completely abandon old associations of maudlin sentiment so long as they persisted with some strength in English society. Being methodically uncomfortable in sharing these rare feelings with others, these days he’d find real comfort instead in his own geography, as he’s often done so in the past. He is always proximate to the ocean, or if not, to rain, or to sombre crowds of people -- with which he convenes, to observe the latent signs of their confident grieving in lieu of what he himself cannot express.
---
Tl;dr what if Arthur is just a boy about emotions but you also used English history to explain it.
Was forced to learn about his immortality the hard way by watching his childhood friend grow old and die while he stayed young(you’d think Britain would’ve told him about nations not aging like humans).
Hates his own body but is a compulsive eater.
Represents to people/culture of the United States of America and not the government. He’s been shown to be unaware of the “policies” his bosses are responsible for and has been shown to be a victim of his own government at times. (And no, the jokes in the English dub don’t count as canon because they contradict the source material. Even if some are good meme material)
Is well aware of how hated he is by a lot of the world and envies his brother Canada because of how loved he is.
And because of this, after WW2, he considers Japan his only true friend that won’t leave him and will go out of his way for him to be happy whenever he visits.
Have a nice day!
PS, this can be called “why canon aph America is better than fanon” or “why I love this character(especially in the later seasons/manga)”.
Note: This post can be taken as both a friendship and shipping post, so I’ll tag it accordingly. I say shipping in the sense that this material would be useful tools to incorporate into characterizations should anyone wish to write this pairing more in tandem to canon.
A trend I’ve noticed in the fandom is that many people are quick to dismiss the possibility of Japan and England sharing a good relationship. I suspect that the anime’s portrayal of them in WW2 has a lot to do with this conception. That said, what I seek to prove is that their relationship—more specifically friendship because that’s what it is—extends before WW2. The two are and were actually very close allies.
That said, I’ve organized their relationship into three main themes. All themes are linked to one another and contain substantive parallels between their characters.
Loss of a Brother Figure:
Both England and Japan experienced the pain of losing a brother figure. Japan lost China, who raised him, and England lost America, who he raised. While Japan’s historical isolation extends into the time where he and China were still personally involved with each other, there is nonetheless the unique parallel that both countries have experienced personal isolation.
Ex: China developed a grudge after Japan betrayed him in WW2. Please note that the grudge has since eroded away in the present.
Source: Hetarchive, The Story About the Early Days of China and Japan.
England and America both experienced a substantial loss and tear in their personal relationship following the Revolution. This has also since been rectified in the present.
Ex: America drank coffee in spite of his grudge over the Revolution.
Source: Hetarchive, Lithuania’s Out-sourcing Series pt. 1
Ex: England dreams about raising America, an echo of his latent and longing desire to live in the past again.
Source: Volume 3, England Dreaming of Long Days Passed.
Loneliness and Isolation:
Of course, the two didn’t just experience personal isolation. They’re both known for their political isolation.
Ex: England, being geographically isolated from continental Europe, became ostracized from other European nations.
Source: Volume 3, England Dreaming of Long Days Passed.
Ex: Japan grew accustomed to telepathically communicating with other beings. In fact, he grew so accustomed to it that when he first met Italy, he wasn’t in the habit of speaking verbally [x].
Obviously, this isn’t overlooking the Westernization he experienced during and after the Meiji era. The point is that his previous isolation impacted his communication patterns.
Ex: In fact, several strips in the series depicts Japan being overwhelmed upon opening his country.
Source: Volume 4, Netherlands and Isolationist Japan.
The neat tie between the two characters is that Himaruya dedicates an entire strip to the two of them forming the Anglo-Japanese alliance. The title of said strip is pretty self-evident as to how their isolation impacted them:
“The Anglo-Japanese Alliance Between Two Lonely People.“
Lastly, there is also this comic gag that depicts their neko versions overcoming their isolation by sharing a kitty box [x].
Cultural Sharing:
A last theme coursing through their relationship is the open dialogue between their cultures. In other words, the two have a history of sharing their cultures.
Ex: England enlists Japan’s help in teaching him how to make better industrial design [x].
Ex: Japan adds his own spin to a traditional Christmas card and England reciprocates the favour [x].
Ex: England hosts Japan at his café and aims to give the latter an authentic English experience of the space [x].
Overall, England and Japan share a very gentle and generous relationship, overlooked as it may be in light of other relationships that tend to be underscored in fanon.
It would be a lie, even insulting to say, to believe that Arthur and Kiku were each other’s first. If anything, their relationship comes from a place of knowledge and wanting to grow old with each other, not a teenager lust or a carefree love.
Arthur experienced with several countries, but had only fell in love with a few. While he doesn’t like being too dramatic in fear of being too much like Alfred, he believes that everyone falls in love three times in a lifetime. For him, his first love was Francis, and while it lasted centuries and he remembers the feeling of never wanting to let go, it ended in a bittersweet way.
Then, Antonio came along. It wasn’t a sweet, pure or innocent kind of love, of course not—Arthur wanted to end him. They were both selfish, prideful and self centered, and it was no surprise when it ended with both of them never wanting to see each other again. It was never something that they both believed in, just intense lust and desire to overpower.
It was Kiku who ended up with his cycle of messing around with no attachments. He didn’t feel the need to defend himself and his power, he never did, because Kiku was the first and only nation to completely understand him. Kiku was gentle, polite, and oh, so mature. Perhaps that’s why he’s still with him. It’s not childish attachment or nonsense battle to see who’s more powerful and rules their relationship, but the sense of finally being home and feeling safe within each other.
