#hws kurdistan

[peonycats]

Hello, the Assyria Ask Anon, I hope this doesn’t bother you. I noticed in your recent post about Media, that you mention their being an Old Assyria, and a New Assyria that also represents modern day. Are you talking about the Old-Assyrian Empire and Neo-Assyrian Empire? Also, in a previous post about Rome neighbors, is that Assyria that represents Neo-Assyria and the modern day people? I hope this doesn’t bother you.

holy moly this ask has been rotting in my inbox for years at this point because i ended up putting "Design and flesh out miss Assyria (jr)" on the backburner for that same amt of time i am SO sorry 😭😭 But yes! Assyria Sr. (Syria and Assyria Jr's mother) represents the old Assyrian Empire, and Assyria Jr. (along with Syria) formed da Neo Assyria Dream Team Extravaganza (before a bunch of the other ancient middle east polities banded together to take them down for good 👍 she's still kicking to this day as the Assyrian people!

Some notes I wrote down for her, which might be subject to change later on down the road:

Expressive and dramatic; can be emotionally intense sometimes

By habit talks loudly

Cooks way way way too much food when guests come over

Puts like mountains of mascara and kohl on her eyes

Old lady who keeps beefing with her neighbors, specifically Kurdistan

im currently wavering between curly and wavy hair texture for her...

[gruzdoesstuff]

[peonycats]

3 and 5 Persia?

3) My thoughts on their design/aesthetic

I actually really like my interpretation of Persia's design! It can be easily taken both masculinely and femininely, and has an air of mischief but also maturity to it, which is hard to pull off~ And plus, Persia being a fashionable person and persian fashion being so gorgeous, it's super fun to style and dress them <333

5) Social headcanons

Like India, I think Iran also appreciates someone who is intelligent and mature; someone who is versed in the courtly arts of flirtation and romance is even more attractive, even if they may be more reserved/restrained in this aspect nowadays. But it is possible for someone to go *too* much in this direction, most notably Kurdistan, who is The Nation that most closely matches Iran's playful demeanor and is one of the few who can make their facade of aloof amusement crack.

[peonycats]

BEHOLD..... THE LONG AWAITED KURDISTAN INTRO POST (wow tumblr preview looks like ass pls click on it)

He is very charming and affable, and can make anyone feel welcome. Even around people he dislikes, he remains friendly; however, his amicability gains an edge of passive-aggressiveness and hostile snark. He's also incredibly tough and proud, and isn't afraid to show it.

Fun Facts:

Married to the mountains

Brags about Saladin whenever he gets the chance

Can be extremely stubborn

Had a pet fox in the past; it attacked Iran on multiple occasions

Pals with Afghanistan! (Kurdistan🤜dealing with Iran🤛Afghanistan)

Deeply distrustful of others

Ive been planning this post for a while and what better time to post it than Day 10 of @aphasiaweek for OCs!

Notes and References:

The left half is mostly Kurdistan's interactions with the four main countries (Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Syria) his ppl are spread across- as you can imagine, he doesn't get on particularly well with any of them.

Foxes are a widely recurring element in Kurdish folklore as trickster figures who defeat much more powerful opponents; the fox furry thing is an inside joke between me and my friend LOL

Kurdistanball is holding a dolma! Dolmas are stuffed dishes, commonly made by wrapping leaves around the filling. They're commonly found in the cuisines of the Balkans, South Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Levant.

Bijî bijî means "Long live ...!" and it would make more sense if Kurdistanball said "bijî bijî Kurdistan" (cuz bijî bijî by itself doesnt really make any sense) but I ran out of room 😔

Roasted sunflower seeds are a popular treat in the region, especially in the Levant!

The lady in white is a tentative design for Miss Yazidi/Miletê Tawûsê Melek! Yazidi clothes are just so beautiful.... She'll prbly pop up with Miss Assyria later ^^

I share this Kurdistan OC, Iraq OC, Syria OC (mentioned), and Yazidi OC with @hammyletto!!

[peonycats]

do you have any thoughts on the median empire?

Iran voice: u don't know him like I do- you've never even chomped down his thigh u fake fan 😤

Historical Footnotes:

Iran prbly had a more complicated relationship with Media that can't really be boiled down into a simple parental relationship- not only did they have other parental/familial figures (like Elam!), what relationship they did have was probably closer to an "older-young sibling" as fellow Iranian tribes more than anything ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ngl, Iran really resembles Elam both in disposition and their habit of beating up Assyria (Assyria's descendants, in Iran's case 👁👁)

Unfortunately, we have no first hand sources about the Medes and everything we know them is from the writings of other civilizations. They were first mentioned by the Assyrians and often rebelled against their rule, until things went real downhill for the Assyrians and the Medes and other subject states broke away. Things got so bad that the Medes even took over Assyria's old joint as the head honcho (that is, until Iran came into the picture lol)

I myself dont have many opinions or headcanons on Media since I havent really studied the Median Empire too much, but he and Assyria (well, by this time it was Old Assyria's descendants, Assyria, who represents the modern day Assyrian people, and Syria) had a testy relationship, to put it lightly.

The handsome lad Iran's talking to in the second panel is Mister Kurdistan! (I'll post more about him as soon as I get his intro post ready ><) The Medes have been often proposed as a starting point for the Kurdish people, and this view was adopted by many Kurdish nationalists when first put forward in the early 20th century. However, recent evidence has indicated that the Kurds may be no more related to the Medes than other Iranian people groups.

[peonycats]

not to be a cringe 2007 italy hetalia fan but what happens when you tug on iran's ahoge (respectfully)

well, seemingly nothing! if you tug on the Greater Iran Ahoge™ there appears to be no abnormal effects, beyond the usual effects of pulling someone's hair.

However, what is strange for the ahoge is how resistant it is to being pulled out. Regardless of how much force is applied, all attempts to pull out the ahoge will be futile.

The appearance of the Greater Iran Ahoge is heavily correlated with Iranian influence. Testimonies have revealed that the ahoge is not always apparent at childhood, as it can appear later in adulthood. If you wish to know more about the unusual properties of Greater Iran Ahoge, consult the following attached image from the recent study, "The Greater Iran Ahoge and its Effects: Part 1"

@hammyletto owns miss Pakistan and I share the rest of the OCs with her!

[peonycats]

Hi this isn’t to pressure you or anything but I can’t wait to see your Kurdistan post !! :3

(aaaa ty Q_Q!!!!)

[peonycats]

workin on that kurdistan intro post too

[peonycats]

I love the beauty marks on mr. Kurdistan !!!

thank you 🥺🥺 they're super fun to draw, and he himself thinks looks pretty dashing w them too!!

[peonycats]

iran + china for the ask game if you're still doing it?

Iran

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life

alighnment: goth | prep | nerd | jock

best quality: hmmm I’ll prbly say that they’re a master negotiator- they strike a great balance between being proud and not underestimating their opponent (most of the time, they’re not exactly immune to hubris) When you finally get through them and all that pomp and circumstance, they can be surprisingly forthright and honest (thought it’s an entirely different story for family members or ppl they have troubled relationships with)

worst quality: Their brutal pragmaticism tbh- it’s a side effect of living for so long and seeing such dramatic and drastic changes, but they’re very good at doing whatever it takes. They’re a little bit more at peace/resigned with this than someone like, say, India.

ship them with: India (their dramatic and proud natures mean they mesh well together), China (Silk Road gang and often travelled to see each other in caravans), Ethiopia (fought a war over yemen that one time but they’re chill now)

brotp them with: India, China, Ethiopia, Ancient Egypt, Egypt, Syria (have known each other since childhood and syria is just suffering :’) ), Armenia, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan

(disclaimer that just because i put a chara here doesn’t mean i dislike the ship or even dislike seeing them together!) needs to stay away from: Rome, Ancient Greece, Saudi Arabia (”get off my lawn you whippersnapper”), Yemen (Have also known each other for a long time, Yemen is also :’) ), Turkey, England, Israel, Kurdistan, Syria

misc. thoughts: Grows flowers in their house. Eats a bunch of bastani. Most of their stuff kinda smells of roses. Comforted Egypt when his mom died. Complained a lot about Rome to China and India. Secretly fond of wine. Has a forbidden twitter account. When they were young, they had a pet hedgehog, and Kurdistan's pet fox kept on trying to eat it.

China

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life

alighnment: goth | prep | nerd | jock (TBH I THINK HE WENT FROM GOTH TO PREP AS HE GOT OLDER LMAO)

best quality: Hmmm, I think that he's actually fairly reliable and dependable if he's not trynna fuck you over- need hw help? he's a great tutor (if not for him being kind of an asshole if u don't get it as fast as he thinks u should) say ur hungry? he'll just suddenly peel some oranges for you. left your work lunch behind? he'll deliver it to you, complaining all the way

worst quality: Among his many many other flaws, one that stands out is definitely his condescension, superiority complex, and his belief that he always knows better than anyone. While that isn't unfounded, given that he's seen so much, it's also fucked him over a lot (rip opium wars) but once he learns his lesson with a foe, he is unlikely to make the same mistake (at least for a while)

ship them with: India (seen too much for too long, tired and nosy and horny), Iran/Persia (oldies and their silk road shenanigans)

brotp them with: India, Iran/Persia, Rome (sent letters and nudes to each other over the silk road), America (money money money motherfucker), south korea (sk cries in the corner when China shows up in his latest fashion atrocity), north korea (his reserved nature makes him more preferable to china), Macau (tho not explicitly stated, pretty clearly the family favorite), Vietnam (bugs her all the time, Viet is ignoring his calls), Ghana, Thailand

(disclaimer that just because i put a chara here doesn’t mean i dislike the ship or even dislike seeing them together!) needs to stay away from: England (china’s feelings on him remain understandably complicated, leaning to the derisive side), Russia (personally ambivalent on rochu tbh), Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Tibet, Japan (HOOO BOI)

misc. thoughts: lights up a box of zhonghua/chunghwa cigarettes everyday. Found in the park every morning doing taichi. Experienced in a lot of fields of martial arts. Swears by Feng Shui. Still bikes everywhere. Complains about historical dramas’ accuracy and costuming all the time. Whenever he calls old friends, he’s on the damn phone for hours. Has a vegetable garden on his porch. Had a perm in the 80s. Once bought a bunch of currency for a game app he was playing on the black market and got banned from the game.

[flyingsassysaddles]

i love your art i really do

workin on that kurdistan intro post too