Application for wonderlandwars
♘ CHARACTER INFORMATION
[ name ] England/Arthur Kirkland
[ fandom ] Axis Powers Hetalia
[ canon point ] At the current end point in canon (so, 2010)
[ age ] Physically 23; no one really knows exactly how old he is or when he came into being, but he's definitely over two thousand
[ personality ] England likes to think of himself as gentleman and tries his best to culture an polite, aloof, sophisticated front. Unfortunately, this only lasts until something irritates him, upon which he'll probably lash out violently and start swearing up a storm (both figuratively and literally - England likes to dabble in dark magic). This happens quite often, as England is stuck in a state of perpetual grumpiness. He's quite cynical and sarcastic; his favorite hobby is offering scathing commentary on America's other countries' music, literature, and film. He has a self-deprecating sense of humor that no one else understands. He's also a bit eccentric, and while he's not exactly ditzy, he tends to get easily distracted by things like fairies.
He's actually a bit of a romantic deep down, but he has a terrible time relating to other people. He's always been terribly lonely, and he tried to cope with that loneliness by convincing himself that he didn't need anyone else. This worked out rather well for him back in the golden age, when alliances constantly shifted and countries entered one war after another, but these days, that pride tends to get in the way of any trust he might put into someone else. He can be overly sensitive, especially when it comes to his cooking or his relationship with America. That said, he does have his soft side, although he usually only shows it when he's sick or dying; when he does show affection, he quickly covers it up by claiming that it's for his own sake.
As a tiny group of islands off the coast of Europe, England never had that much military strength when he was younger. To compensate for this, he had to rely on cunning and deceit, a trait he kept even after he became a major power. His teenage years consisted mostly of violent delinquency, and although he claims to have left his past behind him, his punk nature still sometimes shines through, especially when he's drunk. He accuses other nations of being stubborn, but really, he's probably the most obstinate of them all.
[ history ] Since Hetalia's basically history with anthropomorphic countries thrown in, this will be a mix of both real history and canon:
England was a very lonely child growing up. His brothers attacked him whenever they saw him, and since he was separated from the European continent, his only real friends were his unicorns and fairies. The only other nation who he saw on a semi-regular basis was France, who he both admired and loathed. As a country bumpkin, England had been extremely envious of France's aristocratic grace; unfortunately, any attempts to imitate this ended in abysmal failure.
Like all teenagers, England rebelled constantly, against the Church, against Europe, and against himself. His somewhat friendly relationship with France turned to hatred as the two embroiled themselves bitterly in the Hundred Years War. France eventually won, but by that time, England had already turned his attentions elsewhere, steeped in a civil war that would result in a new monarchy and eventually lead to him cutting off ties to the Church. Despite the war, England remained a relatively weak, poor, and powerless nation, especially in comparison to Spain, France, and Portugal. Seeking to change this, but knowing that he stood little chance in a direct confrontation, England resorted to underhanded tactics, focusing especially on Spain. He hired the pirates that had been plaguing English waters to attack Spain's ships instead, trading absolution of crimes in exchange for gold. Spain eventually found out, but by that point, it was too late; England had already developed his ships to the point where they more than stood their own against Spain's fearsome armada. With that victory, England started down the path that would eventually lead him to total domination of the seas.
With every European nation eager to grab whatever colonies they could in the New World, England decided to join in the race. At first, it was merely to prove that he could hold his own against the other countries, but it grew into much more when he met America. America did what no one else had ever done - he chose England, and England fiercely strove to be worthy of that choice, to protect and shelter his newfound colony. Here, at last, was the solution to England's loneliness. With America, he didn't have to worry about ulterior motivations or power struggles; he could just be himself, and England loved America dearly for that opportunity. It was at this time, too, that England began to involve himself much more in continental affairs, if only so he could fight with France at every given moment; thanks to these wars, England also gained control over Canada.
Unfortunately, all colonies have to grow up eventually, and America certainly did. Despite all of England's attempts, America rebelled against his rule, starting a war against his former steward that eventually ended in England's forfeit, unable to shoot and kill the nation that he raised and adored. Heartbroken, England channeled his frustrations by beating France into a bloody pulp, creating new technology, and then using said technology to take over a quarter of the world. Unwilling to form any more friendships after America's betrayal, England entered a phase of splendid isolation, interacting with the rest of Europe as little as possible (although he had absolutely no problem conquering various parts of China).
England remained isolated until the 1900's when, thanks to internal and external pressures, he decided to try giving this whole 'friendship' thing another go. After a couple of rejections, he finally met Japan, and the two hit it off almost instantly, bonding over the many common factors they shared. In Hetalia canon, Japan is really the first true friend England's ever had; his relationship with America was more brotherly than anything else, and while he had a grudging respect for France, it was tainted by hatred as well. (Naturally, being the punk that he is, England took advantage of Japan's friendship to weaken both France and Russia.) A few years later, due to a series of messy alliances, he found himself in the middle of WWI. He came out victorious, but the war dealt a severe blow to his economy; nonetheless, with the help of his colonies, he managed to bounce back. It was thanks to this war, too, that England began to patch up his relationships with both France and America, while losing the friendship he had built with Japan.
Hetalia takes us up until the middle of WWII, although there are many strips that go beyond that. England's personality hasn't changed much; he's become more concerned with his appearance as a gentleman, but he's still all ruffian inside. More importantly, though, he's starting to learn how to let go of his distrust just a little bit, just enough to play nice with other countries and mean it. He's still as stubborn and prideful as hell, and he probably always will be, but he's beginning to understand that the age of isolation is over, and that friendships these days are necessary. He's never forgotten the fact that he used to be the most powerful country in the world, and there are times when he waxes nostalgic about the golden years, but he's always been good at moving forward.
[ appearance ] Here
[ abilities ] England's a country, so he can only die if something happens to his people. Battle-wise, he's been around for a while, so he's quite familiar with all forms of weaponry ranging from swords to guns to bombs to, of course, the longbow. With the amount of experience he's accumulated, added to the superhuman healing factor he already has as a nation, it can be assumed that he's a decent fighter - after all, he's won most of the wars he's been involved in. He's also a fantastic pirate ship captain.
England has some rather . . . unique abilities, even amongst his fellow nations. He can see fairies and other supernatural beings that other countries can't. He can also summon swords, forks, and energy beams out of nothing (more for humor's sake than anything else, really), and he practices dark magic, although he's not very good at it. His cooking can be used alternatively as a lethal weapon. Weirdest of all, he can sometimes transform into the Britannia Angel, an angel that grants amazing miracles that cause more trouble than they help. No one's really sure how or why this happens.
♛ WONDERLAND INFORMATION
[ allegiance ] MAFIA
[ chosen weapon for the shifter ] Britannia Sword
[ form of the shifter when not in use ] A badge shaped like a rose that he wears on his uniform
♘ CHARACTER INFORMATION
[ name ] England/Arthur Kirkland
[ fandom ] Axis Powers Hetalia
[ canon point ] At the current end point in canon (so, 2010)
[ age ] Physically 23; no one really knows exactly how old he is or when he came into being, but he's definitely over two thousand
[ personality ] England likes to think of himself as gentleman and tries his best to culture an polite, aloof, sophisticated front. Unfortunately, this only lasts until something irritates him, upon which he'll probably lash out violently and start swearing up a storm (both figuratively and literally - England likes to dabble in dark magic). This happens quite often, as England is stuck in a state of perpetual grumpiness. He's quite cynical and sarcastic; his favorite hobby is offering scathing commentary on America's other countries' music, literature, and film. He has a self-deprecating sense of humor that no one else understands. He's also a bit eccentric, and while he's not exactly ditzy, he tends to get easily distracted by things like fairies.
He's actually a bit of a romantic deep down, but he has a terrible time relating to other people. He's always been terribly lonely, and he tried to cope with that loneliness by convincing himself that he didn't need anyone else. This worked out rather well for him back in the golden age, when alliances constantly shifted and countries entered one war after another, but these days, that pride tends to get in the way of any trust he might put into someone else. He can be overly sensitive, especially when it comes to his cooking or his relationship with America. That said, he does have his soft side, although he usually only shows it when he's sick or dying; when he does show affection, he quickly covers it up by claiming that it's for his own sake.
As a tiny group of islands off the coast of Europe, England never had that much military strength when he was younger. To compensate for this, he had to rely on cunning and deceit, a trait he kept even after he became a major power. His teenage years consisted mostly of violent delinquency, and although he claims to have left his past behind him, his punk nature still sometimes shines through, especially when he's drunk. He accuses other nations of being stubborn, but really, he's probably the most obstinate of them all.
[ history ] Since Hetalia's basically history with anthropomorphic countries thrown in, this will be a mix of both real history and canon:
England was a very lonely child growing up. His brothers attacked him whenever they saw him, and since he was separated from the European continent, his only real friends were his unicorns and fairies. The only other nation who he saw on a semi-regular basis was France, who he both admired and loathed. As a country bumpkin, England had been extremely envious of France's aristocratic grace; unfortunately, any attempts to imitate this ended in abysmal failure.
Like all teenagers, England rebelled constantly, against the Church, against Europe, and against himself. His somewhat friendly relationship with France turned to hatred as the two embroiled themselves bitterly in the Hundred Years War. France eventually won, but by that time, England had already turned his attentions elsewhere, steeped in a civil war that would result in a new monarchy and eventually lead to him cutting off ties to the Church. Despite the war, England remained a relatively weak, poor, and powerless nation, especially in comparison to Spain, France, and Portugal. Seeking to change this, but knowing that he stood little chance in a direct confrontation, England resorted to underhanded tactics, focusing especially on Spain. He hired the pirates that had been plaguing English waters to attack Spain's ships instead, trading absolution of crimes in exchange for gold. Spain eventually found out, but by that point, it was too late; England had already developed his ships to the point where they more than stood their own against Spain's fearsome armada. With that victory, England started down the path that would eventually lead him to total domination of the seas.
With every European nation eager to grab whatever colonies they could in the New World, England decided to join in the race. At first, it was merely to prove that he could hold his own against the other countries, but it grew into much more when he met America. America did what no one else had ever done - he chose England, and England fiercely strove to be worthy of that choice, to protect and shelter his newfound colony. Here, at last, was the solution to England's loneliness. With America, he didn't have to worry about ulterior motivations or power struggles; he could just be himself, and England loved America dearly for that opportunity. It was at this time, too, that England began to involve himself much more in continental affairs, if only so he could fight with France at every given moment; thanks to these wars, England also gained control over Canada.
Unfortunately, all colonies have to grow up eventually, and America certainly did. Despite all of England's attempts, America rebelled against his rule, starting a war against his former steward that eventually ended in England's forfeit, unable to shoot and kill the nation that he raised and adored. Heartbroken, England channeled his frustrations by beating France into a bloody pulp, creating new technology, and then using said technology to take over a quarter of the world. Unwilling to form any more friendships after America's betrayal, England entered a phase of splendid isolation, interacting with the rest of Europe as little as possible (although he had absolutely no problem conquering various parts of China).
England remained isolated until the 1900's when, thanks to internal and external pressures, he decided to try giving this whole 'friendship' thing another go. After a couple of rejections, he finally met Japan, and the two hit it off almost instantly, bonding over the many common factors they shared. In Hetalia canon, Japan is really the first true friend England's ever had; his relationship with America was more brotherly than anything else, and while he had a grudging respect for France, it was tainted by hatred as well. (Naturally, being the punk that he is, England took advantage of Japan's friendship to weaken both France and Russia.) A few years later, due to a series of messy alliances, he found himself in the middle of WWI. He came out victorious, but the war dealt a severe blow to his economy; nonetheless, with the help of his colonies, he managed to bounce back. It was thanks to this war, too, that England began to patch up his relationships with both France and America, while losing the friendship he had built with Japan.
Hetalia takes us up until the middle of WWII, although there are many strips that go beyond that. England's personality hasn't changed much; he's become more concerned with his appearance as a gentleman, but he's still all ruffian inside. More importantly, though, he's starting to learn how to let go of his distrust just a little bit, just enough to play nice with other countries and mean it. He's still as stubborn and prideful as hell, and he probably always will be, but he's beginning to understand that the age of isolation is over, and that friendships these days are necessary. He's never forgotten the fact that he used to be the most powerful country in the world, and there are times when he waxes nostalgic about the golden years, but he's always been good at moving forward.
[ appearance ] Here
[ abilities ] England's a country, so he can only die if something happens to his people. Battle-wise, he's been around for a while, so he's quite familiar with all forms of weaponry ranging from swords to guns to bombs to, of course, the longbow. With the amount of experience he's accumulated, added to the superhuman healing factor he already has as a nation, it can be assumed that he's a decent fighter - after all, he's won most of the wars he's been involved in. He's also a fantastic pirate ship captain.
England has some rather . . . unique abilities, even amongst his fellow nations. He can see fairies and other supernatural beings that other countries can't. He can also summon swords, forks, and energy beams out of nothing (more for humor's sake than anything else, really), and he practices dark magic, although he's not very good at it. His cooking can be used alternatively as a lethal weapon. Weirdest of all, he can sometimes transform into the Britannia Angel, an angel that grants amazing miracles that cause more trouble than they help. No one's really sure how or why this happens.
♛ WONDERLAND INFORMATION
[ allegiance ] MAFIA
[ chosen weapon for the shifter ] Britannia Sword
[ form of the shifter when not in use ] A badge shaped like a rose that he wears on his uniform