Why Do I Have To Eat

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@vogellicht the silly <3

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Still don’t know why you liked my post where I was asking for art request

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I see Alfred as being more informed by his interactions with his states, sometimes cities, and also with Indigenous nations.

This is not to say that his interactions with European nations are unimportant especially his interactions with Arthur, Francis, or Ivan.

But when I look at US history, I understand the creation of the US as:

1. An agreement of states, who viewed themselves more of as nations, to form the United States. Before he can even begin to try and sway Francis to helping him in his revolution, he needs to convince his states to join him first, and not all of them were eager for Revolution. Especially given the fact, these British colonies operated differently from one another and were culturally distinct because they operated under salutary neglect (AKA Arthur wasn’t super present cause he was constantly getting involved in wars & was cash-strapped)

2. The US being a settler colonial state used war against Indigenous nations to expand its borders through violence.

I find this second point is lost on the fandom especially in narratives regarding American expansion, but also the American Revolution. It always irks me a bit to see the American Revolution as describes as Alfred’s first war, when it wouldn’t have been, especially if you are assuming he’s existed prior to the revolution. There were many different wars even prior to the revolution with Indigenous nations involved.

There were also many European wars with North American theaters — the French and Indian War which is the Seven Year’s War was the precursor to the revolution. Actually lol the amount of European wars with North American theaters did influence this push for isolationism (as in from Europe) following the revolution.

Anyways this confusing ramble is to say, I find the overemphasis on Alfred’s relationship to European nations like Arthur, or Francis, tends to gloss over the settler-colonial violence in North America due to European colonization. Also I find ignoring, or stating Alfred’s first war as being the revolution a bit…icky ? In the sense that it’s like people do not seem to view Indigenous nations as sovereign of the settler colonial state thus they’re not viewing the wars between indigenous nations and the settler colonial state as not being “true” wars as they view wars between the US & European nations.

I also find the fandom tends to just generalize the US as being broadly English in nature, and fails to further examine regional English identities that but also non-English identities that later come form various different cultural groups in different US states. And idk this also leads me into another conversation of why I’m not a fan of like putting a lot of different identities especially marginalized ones into Alfred’s character but that opens another can of worms that I do not wish to open right now LOL.

also this goes without saying, but im not saying you have to agree with me, nor am I saying if you never had this thought you’re like bad or whatever, I’m just stating my views lol

I wonder if Alfred ever dusts off his law degree (s) and goes plays lawyer for a bit 

I'm thinking he either finds the funniest most insane lawsuit filed and picks it up or he works for free for some smaller case that he cares about but knows the person won't have the money for a proper fancy lawyer 

Or or imagine in a public knowledge AU and you are in night court when the judge says, "oh look your government appointed lawyer is here" and you turn around its just the fucking United States of America because he got in trouble during a recent trip to Las Vegas and congress is having him work as a public defender for the next 6 months to earn back his credit cards and to prove to them he understands what public indecency laws are

Someone should make an animatic of America to the song new money

love reading about the Great Rapprochement. Arthur spends 1895 to 1915 metaphorically kneeling on the ground going pspspspsps in Alfred’s general direction mostly getting ignored but occasionally getting an increasingly half-hearted “go fuck yourself” in response. it’s fantastic. look at this.

German Ambassador Bernstoff, a shrewd observer, reported in 1911, “The British efforts [to cultivate America] are meeting with a certain return of platonic affection. The old rooted dislike to England is gradually vanishing… But it is not accompanied by any wish to offer anything in return.” In hard diplomatic coin, the Americans took but they did not give. British ministries from Salisbury to Asquith made important concessions of substance and form to the United States. These statesmen gained not alliance nor even true reciprocity, but the elimination of grounds of conflict, occasional and essentially “platonic” or negative support in world politics, and above all a transformation of American attitudes which would pay immense dividends after 1914. While other factors propelled America in the same direction, British policy from 1895 to 1914 was the indispensable element.

I love it. Arthur hasn’t been this nice to Alfred since 1754 and Alfred is completely weirded out and has absolutely no idea what to do with this. so he just keeps being belligerent and Arthur just keeps being nice until eventually Alfred is sitting at a table in Arthur’s garden wondering how the fuck he came to the point where he’s having literal tea parties with the old fucker. 

meanwhile Matthew, Jack, and Eliza are just as weirded out. maybe Matthew less so than Jack and Eliza but like. it’s still really fucking weird when Alfred says things that would get Jack sent to boot camp in the most remote part of the Canadian wilderness and Arthur just smiles. Duncan, Morgan, and Erin are much less surprised, since obviously they remember how much Arthur loved Alfred as a child. on the whole, Duncan thinks it’s funny, Morgan is relieved and pleased, and Erin is utterly disgusted lol. like c’mon, Al, don’t listen to him. he’s so full of shit you know he’s full of shit. 

alas, the end of WW1 proves Erin right and Alfred goes right back to belligerent and aloof (though perhaps not near as much as pre-1895).

why can't someone kill me