ppl who celebrate fictional countries' birthdays are annoying pass it on.
the words on the first pic are from "The Masque of Anarchy" by Percy Shelley, which is usually quoted in political movements in resistance to oppression.
hey bougie! Question: would you ever make a physical zine of all ur hetalia art? 👀
hii! good to hear from you, hope life has been treating you well!! i once felt very determined that i‘d make a little zine of my arthur fanart along with all the headcanon-y essays i wrote, and it would be pretentiously titled “philoxenia.” i still think about it and i still have a document with plans of all the other arthur-related art/writing i want to do soo… the answer is yes, i would, though it would more likely be of all the england art than my hetalia art in general. and it helps to know that one person would potentially be interested! i think people who make zines of their own art are really cool and i love collecting that kind of material too. do you think you’d make a zine of your hetalia art? ^-^
I really enjoy and appreciate your work so I don't mean to offend, but don't you think comparing a hetalia character to a real life pedophile (whose case is still very much open mind you) is a bit much??? Should we really be joking about what that man has done??? Idk man
thank you for the feedback, i also had this thought when i considered putting andrew on this list of “variants,” i always want to respect the victims of rape, abuse, exploitation, etc., i always support their power. im sorry to anyone who understandably doesn’t want this character associated with this real-life villain.
in the past i’ve written on this blog about how the british empire facilitated the abuse of power, and used it as headcanon material for this england character. it’s felt a little inappropriate to write about such topics in a fandom space, and i’ve worried if i push it too much. on this occasion, i was just like, hahah england youre just like prince andrew. i know it’s harsh on this hetalia character. but what made sense to me in the end was that this man is a grotesque example of the kind of abuse of power that the british royal dynasty has historically enabled.
arthur kirkland variants — cursed + historically accurate edition! i cant stop giggling and kicking my feet he’s such an evil little white man :3
posted this on my ig story and im gonna use this space to yap about it below the cut. because i am obligated as iggy’s most blackpilled fan.
To qualify as an “ Arthur Kirkland variant” one must be: a significant figure with an impact of questionable benefit/harm on british history and society and/or embody the upperclass character of spurious moral superiority and offhand cruelty.
Each man in order starting from the top left going clockwise:
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington: Remembered for his victory over napoleon bonaparte at the battle of waterloo which effectively ended the napoleonic wars, the duke of wellington represents the conservatism and sense of triumph that would characterize the rest of england’s victorian century. He served as prime minister for a period after the wars but was ineffective and unpopular in this role. Arthur would’ve idolized him as a war hero and a champion of stability. If it weren’t for dignified and sensible gentlemen like the duke of wellington, the peace and safety of arthur’s island would’ve been compromised by the unstable forces of europe…
John, King of England: Remembered as one of the worst kings of england. The revolt of the barons against his arbitrary and unchecked exercise of power led to the creation of the magna carta. Becoming widely hated and having your underlings try to revolt against your authority is a theme arthur would become very familiar with personally in the latter centuries as an empire…
T. E. Lawrence “Lawrence of Arabia”: An officer of the british imperial state. besides being notably involved in the arab revolt, he’s fondly remembered for his “love” of the local arab “boys” (ie., being an abusive creepy sex tourist), and for fantasizing about “punishments” from his “uncle”. A pervert, imperialist, and white savior, which is the best way to also summarize arthur kirkland. They both hated france too.
Jeremy Bentham: A philosopher known for his theories on utilitarianism, and quite a quirky and interesting guy. If you aren’t familiar with this name, you probably know about his most famous idea, the panopticon! The concept of having the omnipotent authority of the panopticon is something arthur fantasizes about — it is part of british culture to live as though you’re a prisoner and to vindictively monitor your fellow citizens through the lens of the police state! Also, the photo of jeremy bentham used in this collage is the mummified remains of his head! Before his death, bentham expressed his wish to let his remains be preserved an on display at the UCL. He might have had a desire to let his body be of intellectual use, which was in line with his utilitarian beliefs. I like this photo, though, because i like the concept of being grotesquely immortal, i think it’s a quality he and arthur share.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: A modern royal and alleged p-dophile r-pist. He’s on this list as a joke because… this is a really dark individual. Well this whole list is a joke, but i craved the opportunity to use this specific photo of him because this genre of photos of “being caught in a scandalous predicament in a car” have deep arthur kirkland energy. Anyway, in 2001, andrew mountbatten-windsor was given a Special Boy made up job by the british government to act as a trade envoy and travel around the world to promote british exports. which sounds like the kind of useless government job that arthur would do. isn’t arthur is a lot like a modern royal? Useless and just there as a public leech? Beloved by a powerful contingent of society and despised by many others..?
Rudyard Kipling: Author of Much Beloved works such as The Jungle Book, “If,” and “The White Man’s Burden.” His poetry and storytelling articulated a romantic vision of the British Empire. He essentially promoted an expansive, larger than life national entity that was meant to inspire a larger than life level of patriotism. And to achieve such a scale of patriotism, as we have learnt from the rest of the 20th century up to our present day, would “regrettably” require racial hierarchy and war — this was the “white man’s burden.” I think his writing has shaped the narrative of English identity, and it’s an ugly yet inescapable aspect of the national culture that Arthur represents.
Thomas Hobbes: The political philosopher who wrote a cute and fun book called Leviathan! You probably know of the description of“solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” being applied to describe Arthur — this comes from Leviathan! It’s originally used to describe the state of humanity without a centralized authority. Hobbes’s philosophical account of the state of mankind can be described as cynical. But, having lived through the societal breakdown of the English Civil War, Hobbes sought to articulate a theory that would offer functionality and sense for his society. Many hetalia nation-personifications live through civil wars, which are certainly traumatic and formative experiences for them. And I think Hobbes’s theory is a good representation of something England learnt about himself after the English Civil War. Also, i’ve seen previous hetalia meta writers use the “leviathan” theory to describe the ontology of hetalia nation personifications. I think that being a “leviathan” is something arthur aspired to be — somebody with the power to maintain stability against the threat of chaos of the outside world.
Lord Alfred Douglas “Bosie”: saved the most fun one for last… the son of a famous boxer, the lover of oscar wilde, and the poet who originated the phrase “the love that dare not speak its name.” He seemed to have had a volatile and entitled temperament, and lived hedonistically. He converted to catholicism later in life, and publicly turned against oscar wilde and homosexuality. Also became an outspoken anti-semite, it was a time that anti-semitism was becoming more fashionable after all. Generally, a privileged shit-stirrer who embodies the artistry, hedonism, privileges and callousness of the upper classes. A malicious queer, one who associates himself with brilliance and authentic creativity when convenient, but shuns it when society feels like demonizing those same champions of creativity. A story that resonates with the pride and shame of arthur’s existence.
..yea so ive had this hc that england would be a ch*lsea fan and france a p*sg fan - being clubs based in their respective capitals that have been especially successful and have absurdly rich owners, oh wouldn't that appeal to these two smarmy bastards. so here they are as ucl rivals.
but then i thought might as well put them in the national team shirts of england and france as well because probably that makes more sense?
turnnoffyourmind
amandla
stormborns
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