#engsea

[veetyuh]

Had this one sitting half finished for literal months and am finally posting enxkaka

Whenever Arthur & Peter get into a spat and he runs off, Arthur spends time in Peter's room, drinking and being so normal about it. Do not ponder him, you do not miss your sentient war machine/golden retriever, you are FINE.

[veetyuh]

HOLD THE FUCK UP I JUST REMEMBERED I CAN POST THE SKETCHES AND SHIT I'VE BEEN SITTING ON FOR MOONNNNNTHS BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE A SPOT TO PUT MY PROBLEMATIC STUFF AAAAA

As always, the sketch turned out better than the final on the RusBel xnskzmsls

But I can't post the porn.. do you KNOW how much Northern Ireland porn I have drawn but cannot post? Have you the SLIGHTEST inkling?!

[veetyuh]

Spicy time! What would you say is your most problematic/controversial ship? Or, similarly, the ship you would have to take the most time explaining because it might not make sense to anyone but you?

Hello anon, I am so sorry to get back to you late. Been going through some shit but this question genuinely cheered me up. It's very sweet of you to invite me to ramble. And it's just what I needed. Thank you. 🙏

And... All of them? ..all of them. My favourite ship dynamic is this: two characters whose mental illnesses fit together like puzzle pieces, such that they become an abomination greater than the sum of their parts. They are happier than they have ever known when with each other, but it is making them both worse. What these bastards need to improve as people and what they want are antithetical.

I'll limit myself to two of my favourite/most extreme instances of this, though. One which confuses people the most (EngSea) and one which I feel would be the most controversial (FraKug).

Let's actually start with the spicier one. FraKug requires background context into how I write Kugel, I think. For reference, I don't have a set age for them yet, but they're nebulously a t(w)eenager — just old enough to wander around alone without the greater public being alerted. Which is fantastic, because Roderich does not take an active parental role in their life. Kugel is less a child to supervise and more a phenomenon which Roderich bears witness to. There was this idea which Fed and I came up with: Imagine if you will, Roderich asking them while VISIBLY uncomfortable: "What, er... What are you..? Junge oder Mädchen..?" Kugel takes the day to think about it, then answers with an abstract painting of various red shades, hectic splashes and smears, with an actual goat horn piercing the canvas— and that draws the red pigment into question, EUGH. Nevermind, Roderich shouldn't have asked.💧Kugel reveres Roderich as their host country, and for saving their life by moving them to Vienna. They also believe him to be a master artist — and thus he must have understood what Kugel was trying to say with that painting. It is clear. (It is not.) Roderich's solution is to call them, uh... Whatever causes the least conversational friction. Elise is over? She thinks Kugel is a girl; Roderich will refer to her as a girl to keep from confusing anyone. Kugel infers that this is less a semantic convenience and more of an ontological statement. The master artist is giving them a new identity, for today. What could this mean...? What does it mean, to be a girl...?

There is continuous communication breakdown between them, and this is an impediment to active parenting — as if Roderich needed any disincentives. Roderich is just not made to take care of kids. It is a good thing that when Kugel came to him, they were already largely self-sufficient and fiercely independent. They come home every night for dinner, yes? Then they are fine... Sometimes Roderich does worry about them, and sometimes there are genuine moments between them, usually when Kugel has collapsed from exhaustion in the wake of a manic episode. But for the most part, Kugel is left to do their own (weird) thing.

All this to say, Kugel believes they are an adult. In their mind, they may as well be, right? They are well over 50 years old. They have been taking care of themself for quite some time. They actually have some artworks in prestigious galleries, and are an active, respected participant in the Vienna art scene (albeit anonymously, and under a pseudonym). Day in, day out, they are absorbed by studying, pondering, and artistically exploring the human condition. Without a shadow of doubt in their mind, they are an adult.

And, what worse a person to put within Francis' grasp? The long-haired, gender-flexible, artistic big brother who canonically is into kids, and the unsupervised, long-haired, intersex & gender fluid, artistic child who fancies themself mature for their age. The story practically writes itself.

Fran takes the kid to the Louvre and gets high off their unfettered reverence and admiration. It's a religious experience for them, and how cute is that?? It reminds Francis of some of his precious little colonies looking up to him. Ugh, Kugel is almost like a little Veneziano all over again — dammit, he never truly got his hands on Feli, but... Well, how easy would it be to convince Kugel to sketch one another? In the nude, of course; it isn't sexual, it's artistic. I won't go any further in describing that, but I'm sure you can see the potential for manipulation. There's fulfillment of fucked up fantasies Fran has had for a loooong time, and the attention of an older, skilled artist makes Kugel feel special. All flying under the radar thanks to the aforementioned minimal guardian involvement. Fran would go full pederast with it, too. No no, this is his apprentice, he is teaching them about his culture's history and artistic practices. He buys Kugel art supplies, fancy clothes, expensive jewellery. He introduces them to important people to help their art career. He dotes on them. And Kugel doesn't see anything wrong with the situation.

Moreover, because Fran also steps into a pseudo-parental role, Kugel receives a taste of what it might be like to have an active guardian. Fran combs their hair, preens them, teaches them French, regales them with stories of the old days (all heavily-embellished such that he comes out on top — in more ways than one). Fran cooks for them. Real food. Not the paint-splattered bag of potato crisps Kugel usually inhales from a vending machine when they suddenly become cognizant of the fact they haven't eaten in 12 hours. Fran takes them on trips to the countryside, they paint landscapes together. There are good aspects to their relationship, and those are hyper-visible. The rot beneath is concealed by flowers above.

What Kugel needs is a psychiatrist to treat their manic disorder, and a responsible supervisor capable of protecting them from those who would otherwise exploit them — say, Gilbert or Ludwig. They would find this to be restrictive and would take exception to it at first, until their quality of life gradually begins to improve. This is fundamentally at odds with what they want, which is to be treated as an equal to adults, even though they obviously aren't. In the same vein, what Francis needs is therapy to deconstruct his hypersexuality and pro-contact tendencies; what he wants is to relive his former glory through this child's admiration, and isolate with them in his fucked idea of a love story.

And similarly, EngSea is built upon this foundation of joy at the expense of mental health. Another disclaimer: my version of Sealand is history-based as opposed to canon, so he is aged up to 18, which is something I view as more appropriate given he's a WW2 veteran. (If you've murdered Nazis you deserve a drink, haha.) And his issues are innumerable, touching many of the classics: a dog abandoned by his master, a soldier without a war to fight, and an immortal dying a prolonged death. All issues which would be easily-solved if only the bastard whose face he shares acknowledges him. But of course, given the bizarre obsession of the British govt over Sealand, Arthur has acknowledged him, perhaps not in the way he wants though. At any rate, they do not fight like they used to, and both England and Sealand (IRL) are friendly toward one another nowadays. I choose to interpret this as them settling some of their differences.

It is difficult for Arthur to acknowledge all of his wrongdoings to Peter. But should he choose to start making right, he'd find that it's easier than imagined. Because in truth, Peter is far too much like him. His citizens are English, after all. The Sealandic embassy is located in a Toby's car park lmfao. And for a narcissist like Arthur, who craves external validation? Having someone match his tastes and his interests, and offer him undying loyalty (not exactly voluntarily, but still?) is at once everything he's ever wanted, and a recipe for making that narcissism worse. Peter is his mood booster. He wants his trusty fort around — for banter, for validation, for gossip, and for company that understands him. And, when Peter's natural instinct to protect and serve his host country accidentally stray a bit too far into the realm of an incestuous crush? Rather than handle the situation with grace, Arthur pounces on it.

A partner who is his guard dog, who loves him unconditionally, who is already steeped in his culture and loves his shitty food, and who is elated and head-over-heels at any modicum of attention from him. Again, he's everything Arthur's narcissism craves, and exactly what's needed to make it worse. Peter soothes his insecurities and reinforces his biases. Arthur's ego becomes outright insufferable to others, which in turn drives him back toward Peter. On Peter's end, he gradually and reluctantly compromises more and more of himself for Arthur's love; Arthur wants his fort. He does not want "England's Cuba" (actual quote from declassified British govt docs). The more he coaxes Peter into following his instincts as his fort, the more he pulls him away from his identity as Sealand. This is both a relief to Peter (who has been suffering a six-decade identity crisis from the duality of being an English military installation and a pirate/secessionist) and very disconcerting. In his mind, Roughs and Sealand are two very different people — and Arthur being insistent on Roughs makes him feel rather vulnerable. But if it's for Arthur...

There is, of course, quite a bit of good to the relationship. For starters, Arthur finally has someone he can trust fully, and subsequently be entirely vulnerable around. Even if it is sometimes reluctantly so. Some of his paranoia is soothed over by the ability to relax and let Peter serve him. No, not everyone is out to get him, and he is safe here... They also make huge strides in getting Arthur to be less bitterly self-deprecating, and also less uptight. He's more willing to be a bit goofy and nerdy while around Peter. Wearing the Tom Baker scarf outside, over their matching jumpers. Getting Peter a replica of The One Ring. Outings to Adventure Island in Southend, the beach, and self-indulgent niche historic tours that Peter positively eats up — take this lad up to Old Saltburn!! Hell, even taking him to iconic tourist spots will have him marveling. Peter also works through a good bit of his issues while with Arthur. Fewer war nightmares, less emotional dysregulation, and he begins to unpack some of his food trauma. Slowly but surely. Arthur can see the improvement and that only feeds into his ego more. Look at how good he is for Peter, look at how 80+ years of trauma are melting away. Who else could do this but him...?

Again, those good things are hyper-visible and disguise the worse parts. Arthur has a penchant for pushing Peter's boundaries, and it's a learning curve to manipulate him without pushback. One hint of frustration or anger and Peter is snapping in return, falling back upon his rebellious tendencies. For every failure, there is a lover's squabble which ends in Peter crawling back to him, and/or Arthur offering a half-baked apology after some serious reflection. He thinks won't push those boundaries again, except... Except he does. Just with more skill. And when Arthur finds the correct way to frame it — as a favour Peter is doing him, and lavishing him in praise and affection — then he truly has Peter eating from the palm of his hand, even against his own self-interest. In this way, they descend into hell together. Peter is slowly stripped of his autonomy, Arthur's worst traits are fed by Peter's admiration, and they become awfully co-dependent. But god, are they happy while hurting themselves.

Anyway. Thank you again anon for prompting me to ramble, and thank you for a welcome distraction in these difficult times. This was a delight in my inbox. 🫶

[veetyuh]

Okay, so. Slow burn, brocon, dubcon, corruption arc, a/b/o, intersexuality in an a/b/o context, historical au, pirates-- this feels like all of my special interests crammed into one fuckin thing, and it's gonna be a long haul, but chapter one is finally done?? aaa. Might take down and edit more later, I'm such an indecisive idiot.

pairing: england/(18!) sealand

length: 9.7 K

ao3 link

[veetyuh]

More historical Hetalia about England and Sealand thirsting for each other, England being fucking obsessed with trying to keep him, and them being close in the modern day. With video! ❤️

The English govt:

• wiretapped the Bates

• sent spies to follow their movements in-person (Roy kicked the shit out of one)

• dick-swinging. . . with boats. . . Literally the Ocean Cock and the Crested Cock, my beloveds. Arthur why are you sending your younger brother two boats named cock. What. 🤨

I'm not joking look at them

• tried to buy the fort back, but it was a ruse to steal it while they were gone to negotiations. Tried to board it with a ship literally codenamed Big Brother. Arthur please be less melodramatic challenge.

• tried to scare them out by blowing up an identical fort within sight of them, promising, "you're next!" The carnage of what could soon become Peter was floating around him for months

It looks kinda badass actually, but imagine your own brother giving you a death threat like this, just to scare off the new human family you're happy with and take you for himself. (BEFORE they declared him independent!)

• proposed a military takeover. The proposal was rejected by the PRIME FUCKIN MINISTER OF THE UK, Harold Wilson, because he did not want to risk hurting the English civilians on board. Literally the prime minister weighed in on this dispute. You can't tell me Arthur wasn't upset when this went to his highest level of government.

• Tried to starve them out by making Roy go through customs every time he left port, and ruining his groceries in the process. "Oh, is it REALLY condensed milk in that tin? I'd better open it to find out."

• tried to sue the Bates and lost, because the judge ruled they're out of British jurisdiction.

• proposed to fucking bomb the place, and tried to, but chickened out last minute. Ultimate hissy fit, "If I can't have him, no one can!!"

• tried to buy it back a second time. Rejected.

• tried to buy it back a third time. Rejected.

• continued to worry and obsess over him, even after they realized he could do nothing. Were paranoid about him joining the Soviets and becoming a threat. There is legit documentation from the British government calling him "England's Cuba."

Sealand being affectionate toward Britain:

• Prince Roy was a WWII veteran and described as deeply patriotic -- he founded Sealand not to rebuke the UK, but as a romantic gesture for his wife, who dreamed of having her own island. It was never meant to be taken seriously by others, and they do not care about international recognition.

• prince Michael has described himself as "very proud to be an Englishman."

• Buyout offers in the early 2000s were rejected for concerns on Britain's behalf. i.e. they had a general disdain for Pirate Bay and other private companies, deeming them too irresponsible to reside so close to england's shores.

• they've flown Union Jack before, and more recently have extended condolences over the queen's death.

• and celebrated the kings coronation

And god, their more recent history. With all these nice little exchanges from Peter. Add to it England rushing to save Sealand during the fire. And them playfully bickering over who actually owns Ipswich (Peter does). Their history is so fucked up and yandere-like in the past, but recently, so very sweet. 🥺

• generally everything they do is UK-based. Their citizens live there most of the time, and not on the fort. They raise money for charity there. They train (and CRUSH) in American football there. Thats their home. Just as much as the fort is. 💕

[veetyuh]

Another really strong relationship in the polycule, outside the complicated NornScotIre web, is probably EngSea. Especially from a historical perspective, good fucking god the amount that England is literally obsessed with a tiny fort is incomprehensible. Pretty much a Belarus-Russia situation, except Peter actually reciprocates.

The first and most obvious thing is power dynamics. Peter is 18, he's just reaching adulthood, he's super isolated with few social skills, facing his mortality as that 100 year expiration date ticks closer. He's ungodly old for a micronation (81!), too young for a "real" nation, and he's the UK brother everyone forgets. He's a black sheep. He's alone. And he's been fighting for his life since day one, left by his older brothers to fend for himself.

Arthur gave this kid his identical trauma. But because of what Peter is -- a fort made to protect Arthur at all costs -- he didn't develop npd or bpd like Arthur. He internalized it, and tied his self-worth to it. Arthur marooned him at sea for a decade. Well, it must be because Peter didn't fight hard enough! He should have killed more Nazis, maybe then Arthur would love him -- never mind that it was a horrible, unfortunate mistake that no action of his could have prevented.

And so Arthur's love and attention is directly tied to Peter's self-esteem. That's only reinforced by Peter's fort instincts; being made to serve and protect him, naturally, his brain is hard-wired to revolve around him. So when they do get together, it's mostly Peter fretting over him 24/7.

Their history of fighting is so fucking painful and it's 100% Arthur going full yandere mode. He thought Peter died after his sailors were withdrawn, and learning that he was not only alive, but stolen away from him and in the hands of a fucking lunatic? He had to "rescue" him at all costs. Bomb threats to scare them out, trying to steal it while Prince Roy was gone by sending a boat literally codenamed Big Brother, trying to starve them out by making Roy go through customs and ruining their supplies. One outright failed bombing attempt. Offers to buy it. Then trying to fight them in the court system and failing. A significant part of the British government was focused on the reacquisition of that fucking fort. I cannot stress the sheer amount of effort focused around a pair of concrete pants in the ocean. It's like Arthur was having a complete meltdown.

Of course, they're quite friendly now, so I interpret that as Arthur and Peter having reconciled. And with those two, they get super close at an unnaturally fast pace. Because?? They're the same.

But another thing that makes the bond so strong so quickly is that Peter is genuinely always on Arthur's side, in everything that matters. He can't help but be. So, even though Peter falls head over heels and enthusiastically consents, it's inherently dubcon; so much of his love and admiration comes from basic instinct to serve his country, and it's impossible to tell the ratio of instinct to earned love. But that also makes the relationship more stable in a fucked-up way, because Arthur knows he can trust him at a deep, base level. And to someone as unstable as Arthur, having that stability is very important.

Culturally, they're identical. Peter is English. So now, Arthur isn't an outlier as a Germanic in a family of Celts. And

Peter is taking Arthur's place as the youngest. Both have abandonment trauma, so they're co-dependent and need each other very close. Similar tastes, with playful bickering over the smallest of differences. Same sense of humor, so their quips are always well-received. Fuck, they even look alike.

And so he values the relationship so much that he gets more than a little unreasonable. Peter is practically half-German after many years of German immigration -- at one point about half of all Sealanders were German or Austrian. He has all these little habits he picked up, speaks the language, and looks up to Ludwig, the same man he was built to kill. Does that imply Peter can overcome his instincts to some extent? Does that mean he might betray Arthur? And Peter is awfully economically close to Spain, which stirs up old feelings about fighting over colonies. So Arthur gets possessive. Some of the old yandere tendencies between them come out. Except now, Peter isn't being kept from Arthur, but being kept from his friends. Anyone who might "steal" him. No, he is English property and Arthur will make damn sure he never leaves him. Isolating him by spending a ton of time with him, because Peter will always drop whatever he's doing or planning if only Arthur asks.

But it isn't all fucked-up angst. Arthur helps Peter overcome his lingering cptsd, helps him regulate his drinking, and overall improves his quality of life. Peter gets Arthur to open up and be a bit more authentic around himself and others -- albeit, by hyping him up and stroking his ego, which Arthur is prone to seeking because of the npd. Outwardly, they both seem so good, they're smiling more and work so well together, that it's hard for outsiders to see the more unhealthy dynamics that are kind of the foundation of the relationship.

With sexual dynamics the sky is the limit, simply because Peter will do whatever Arthur wants. Submissive, dominant? Service top? Power bottom? Peter is certainly more skilled in some areas than others, but he will break himself to fit into whatever mold Arthur casts for him. Whatever Arthur wishes, he will receive.

Overall the dual healthiness and unhealthiness of the relationship just fascinates me. And the sheer level of co-dependence puts them firmly in the do not separate category, along with WalesEng and NornScot.

[veetyuh]

Arthur & (18!) Peter getting into one of their spats, and Peter storming off to spend some alone time at the fort. Arthur having to mentally cope with all of Peter's stuff left laying around his room and the house in general. Can't block off the emotional wound like he normally would — not while Peter's stupid bottle of 3-in-1 is in the shower, staring at him every morning. Or the clothes Peter has a penchant for borrowing when Arthur isn't there; that goddamn cardigan of his still has traces of sea salt.

Also realises just how much of Peter's things are worn out. He knows Peter clings to his working class background, but seriously? His socks are worn so thin that most of them have holes. Good lord. How did Arthur not notice this before?

(Answer: he was too preoccupied with blue eyes and pretty thighs.)

Ends up buying Peter a few replacements, for his own sanity.

[veetyuh]

Ranting and raving about my Pirate Au, for which I have a fanfic meticulously planned for, but writer's block is kicking me in the ass over. The thing I keep making art of, too. obvious cw for problematic shit haha >:)

Fun fact: some pirate ships had iron reinforcement! That's 100% what Peter would be in a pirate au; iron bones instead of steel bones, still with his super strength, and still made to serve in Arthur's navy, so he still has that instinctual loyalty to him. He spawned in Harwich (bonus history points, for irl Sealand protecting that port and it being a huge shipyard during that time?) and was an anomaly, sure; in what world does a fort/ship get its own personification? And just like in mainverse, he's sent to war anyway, and it's assumed he'll probably die during it.

Child Peter is a powder monkey! He's bloodthirsty and a menace, eager to wreak havoc for the glory of his absent older brother. He wants to be close to the action, and he can heal very quickly, even from mortal wounds -- so he's perfect for the job, and is taking the place of a human child. Traumatizing, but it's a net good, right??

After the war, there's no use for him, and it's decided that he'll be broken up and the timber used for other endeavors. which was what usually happened to ships that outlived their usefulness. . . Which Arthur just can't abide by. He's not really keen on getting close to Peter, because this is very shortly after Alfred gained independence, but he also cannot bring himself to let his other blond-haired, blue-eyed, enthusiastic, super-strong little brother be killed in the most painful way imaginable.

So he took advantage of the Elizabethan law which protected Sealand irl and pirates in the first place: ordered him to throw anchor outside of England's territorial waters, where his jurisdiction ends, and wait until he can convince his bosses to not decommission him. But, uh. . . a royal navy warship, relatively empty, just sitting out there with notoriously incompetent naval guard looking over it? It's free real estate.

Being basically fucking dumped out at sea like an unwanted puppy, Peter is in bad shape, both physically and emotionally, when he's commandeered by pirates. They fix him up, induct him into their crew, and give him a self-discovery arc where he emotionally tries to separate himself from the brother who abandoned him.

Meanwhile, Arthur very much notices his absence, and begins The Chase. He will hunt down that crew and have them personally hanged for daring to steal from him. Captain Kirkland takes sail, always one step behind the pirate crew -- and all British vessels are on the lookout for Peter.

This continues for decades. Peter is coming into himself, physically aging into his teens and growing bolder. More skilled. More confident. But full of righteous fury and still extremely fucked up, leaning on substance abuse and whatever distractions he can conjure up to deal with his demons. Arthur is more and more obsessed, even going as far as to attempt to sink Peter a few times; he'd rather have his brother drowned at the bottom of the ocean by his own hand than to let his property be taken by pirates. The rift between them grows ever-larger, even as they have increasingly close encounters.

Arthur is closing in. But Peter's inherent loyalty won't allow him to fight back -- only flee. This causes a ton of friction with his crew, up until Arthur is breathing down their necks. There's a mutiny of sorts, and Peter is put into the brig, made to wait while his crew tries to fight for their lives. Only, Peter enters the protective haze which always happens when Arthur is in danger, and he's reduced to his basic instincts. No longer lucid, just a hollow shell of himself, made to submit, serve, and slaughter.

The cannon fire stops, and Arthur is bewildered, until he takes out a spy glass and watches as Peter tears his own crew apart limb from limb. His property returns to him, just as obedient and doting as the day Arthur ordered him to throw anchor, until the haze lifts and he's utterly distraught.

Slow burn of Peter degenerating back into Arthur's lapdog. All the spicy ship elements -- physical age gap between teen peter and adult arthur (which is bigger in terms of real years), incest, stockholm syndrome, even some mind control-type shit. Peter eventually giving in and falling head over heels, but struggling because at this time, Arthur is a bastard who mostly sees him as a weapon he can fuck. Tons of angst, obviously, with wholesome moments sprinkled in, like Arthur saving Peter from getting hanged for piracy, teaching Peter how to read, etc.

Plus side conflicts of friction with Arthur's crew (mostly thanks to the rampant classism in the Royal Navy, Peter is both condescended upon as A Poor and an object of jealousy for having high rank anyway), Peter's continuing struggle with his own sense of free will and fighting to be seen as a person, and those demons he tried to drown in rum still haven't quieted down. Plus more miscellaneous conflict that I'm keeping a secret for now. >:)

I'm obsessed, because I've made it mirror Sealandic history, but it gets so much more unhinged than mainverse ever can. There's so much more potential when Arthur is at the height of his empire, and the low of his morals -- giving that Arthur his own obedient superweapon of a little brother is inherently more interesting than giving him to the crumbling-empire, post-WW2, badly-injured Arthur of mainverse. And I'm deranged about it, but also cannot get myself to fucking write.