Hello, hello. 

I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas week! 

If you do not celebrate, I hope you just had a great week :)

But, uh, I had a tiring week. 

I did get excellent presents, though!

So W. 

Anywhoo firstly I want to show off the cover of the new book: 'Waves of Feathers and Scales' because I am pretty proud of it. 

Here it is:

(Ignore the terrible-looking desk legs; I forgot to crop them out. Iar Connacht is on the left, the Kingdom of Connacht is on the right)

I am really proud of how it turned out! 

Will admit I have been itching to draw the cover since I started because I had this exact idea in my mind. It has literally been killing me inside but now that I have finally drawn it, I feel slightly more at peace.

Also, I got an excuse to listen to the playlists I made for these two. (I will probably share them eventually)

Uhh, I don't know what to say now, so um.. can't wait for Wednesday! yay..

Star drawing yayyyy! 

So uh, character here is supposed to be a Roman province, I simply forgot which one. Most likely Judaea, Syria, orrrrr Arabia Petraea. 

I think this drawing is kinda self-explanatory so I don't feel like I need to say anything......

But uh, I did enjoy doing the shading and the brightness of the star! 

:D

Now I offer up these two colonies:

(Left is North Greenland, right is South Greenland)

SG is just singing Christmas carols while NG is holding his walrus tusk that he got as a present :DD

Ngl, I kind of just wanted to draw them because I love Greenland. Also, I love colonies. 

In Greenland, the people sing many Christmas carols, particularly in Greenlandic. But it is a very big tradition in Greenland. I would type more about it but unfortunately, I am tired, so I recommend looking into it :)

But uh yeah. 

Duchy of Bavaria

He got a hat for Christmas, which is in his hands. 

He's just chilling. Not much else.

Finding a base for his outfit actually was challenging but here was what I used:

sighhh

ALRIGHT, NOW I AM JUST GOING TO SHOW BALLS AND THEIR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS; LET'S GO:

Iar Connacht and his new old armor! :DD

He is very happy as you can see. 

Which is good, because well.. he won't be too happy.. soon.................

ANYWAYYY

He was close to getting what he wanted so yk.

He can't be TOO upset.

Tara is about to see what she got. 

Now we have Munster opening a gift and finding a little map of Ireland! (He totally didn't want it for any specific reason) 

He has more gifts, but he'll open them later. 

Also, he's being stalked by a certain somebody, but we shan't speak of that. 

I know Christmas trees didn't exist then, but I just wanted to put one ;-;

Leinster is just chilling by a fire with a nice fuzzy blanket and a nice warm drink. 

The goblet and the blanket were her Christmas presents. 

She just wants to relax and not have any nightmares about dead people yk?

Osraige getting a new wolf for Christmas. 

It's probably his 100th... 

Idk..

Now I give you this:

English Commonwealth just being a bitcchhhhhh

This actually did happen; Cromwell banned Christmas because it was too Catholic, in his opinion.

London does not agree with this decision. England is questioning himself for once.

To combat this, here are Britain and German Empire during the Christmas truce. 

They are so happy at the moment :)

It's just like when I give you lore. 

Speaking of which, here is that lore!

(Note: Munster, Leinster, and Dublin here differ from the Kingdom of Munster, Kingdom of Leinster, and the Kingdom of Dublin. I had to clarify just in case there is confusion.)

Year: 1921

For 167 days, the Irish War of Independence had ended. There hadn't been another grueling ambush, no shot of gunfire, just nothing. Munster, along with the other provinces, cities, and whoever else, had been sobbing for joy once the war had finally come to a close. They were finally free. Or at least, that's what they'd thought.

Munster had been furious on December 6th upon reading the treaty that had been signed concluding the war. It was an absolute insult. Britain or whoever on the British side came up with these terms clearly refused to let them have the satisfaction of winning the war. The country was now a dominion, allegiance now had to be to the United Kingdom, three ports were held onto by the British for defense purposes, and one of the worst parts was the fact that the North was going to remain fully British. There would be no fully unified 32 counties in Ireland.  When Ireland returned from making the peace terms, Munster could tell he was less than happy about these events. But Munster was still angered that he even accepted them to begin with.

"This is a betrayal!" Munster had snarled at Dublin, who refused to let her talk to Ireland herself.

"Munster, I understand your anger, but Ireland couldn't have done much else. They weren't going to accept what we wanted," Dublin replied. Slight bags were under his eyes from nonstop tiring work.

"Then we should've continued to fight!" Munster protested, clenching her fists.

"You and I both know we couldn't have continued. Ireland even knows that-" Dublin was about to continue, but Munster couldn't help interrupting.

"You and Ireland didn't give up after 1916! Ireland was punished for what happened and you were shot in the head yet you both didn't throw it away for nothing!" Munster's voice cracked a little, which made her annoyed with herself, "You didn't stop fighting then! So why should we stop now?"

"Munster, I know you are frustrated and rightfully so, but we had no other choice. I don't know how many times I have to say it but we couldn't have won if we didn't accept this treaty. This war has been draining and brutal. If we didn't accept this treaty the bloodshed would have gone on and who knows what would have happened. It's possible Ireland would have been executed." Dublin's tone was stern as he narrowed his tired-looking dark green eyes.

"Better executed than a traitor." Munster snarled, her tone almost as cold as ice.

"Munster-"

"No! I don't want to hear it!" she snapped, holding up a hand, "If anything I want to talk to Ireland myself, but if I can't then let me say this, we suffered and fought for independence for over 800 hellish years and our ancestors died in the fight for freedom, but now when we are so close to getting full freedom, it is denied!"

Munster paused, taking a glance at the wooden rickety floor with its dark red carpet before looking up with a fierce gaze, "I cannot forget the Burning of Cork. I cannot forget what those bastards did!"

Dublin was silent for a little while before speaking, his voice calm, "Munster. You don't think I know that? Do you not think I understand? I can assure you I understand full well. I witnessed the death of the first country I served as capital, which was the Kingdom of Dublin. Actually, I got to witness the death of the Lordship of Ireland as well. Guess who caused those deaths. England did. I got to witness atrocities committed. I had to witness others get murdered! Hell, I even got to experience death a few times! Every single thing that happened has made me hate the Kingdom of England, even if he's long dead, more and more."

It was now Munster's turn to be dead silent. He understands. He understands more than I think... "And yet you still refuse to continue the fight. We're accepting a treaty that is meant to keep us under their thumb. But we are simply told to suck it up and accept it? Doesn't that feel a little bit wrong to you?"

"Nobody wanted this treaty Munster! But this is the best we have, the closest step we have to achieving full independence someday." Dublin sounded exasperated now.

"And if we don't? What then? Are we going to continue waiting for some miracle that we will all be free?" Munster paused, waiting for a response, but when none came, she spoke, "You can maybe do that, but I won't! I refuse to! I will fight even if that means I will be drawing my final breaths!"

Dublin didn't reply at first until Munster had marched all the way to the end of the long hallway. "The Kingdom of Ireland wouldn't have wanted this either, but he would have accepted the terms as well."

Munster's hand paused on the silver door handle, going slightly still. "Perhaps you didn't know him that well then. Because I know he wouldn't have given in so easily. He never gave up easily during the 1798 rebellion. I don't see why he would've given up now if he was still around."

With that, she turned the handle and slammed the door behind her with a loud bang.

Two weeks had passed since that interaction, and Munster had spent most of her time in her room. She avoided Ireland as much as possible, not wanting to cause an argument. She still talked to the other provinces, though. Connacht was leaning toward being more pro-treaty, along with Leinster. Ulster was a bit more anti-treat, but he didn't seem completely anti-treaty. She tried to avoid mentioning the treaty when she was around them, though. She didn't want to ruin her relationship with them. 

Now, Munster sat in her room, specifically at her desk, reading a book about the ancient Irish kingdoms. The desk was a walnut brown, with some scratches that could be visible on the paint. Letters and newspapers lay in two separate piles on the desk, with books, a couple of leaves, and her pistol. The clock that hung above the desk ticked steadily, the bronze hands glowing slightly from the morning sun that shined through the window. The book she was reading was definitely entertaining enough; she flipped through the pages, sometimes taking in information and sometimes not. She read about Aliech or the Northern Uí Neill, Osraige, and got to the country she was named after, the Kingdom of Munster. Out of all the kingdoms, she did find him the most interesting. There may have been a bit of a bias, but either way, she found him amazing. He actually succeeded in uniting the island, even if it was for a short period of time. If only they could have successfully done that. If only-

The door swung open from behind her, causing Munster to immediately close her book without bookmarking it. Munster's first thought was Ireland, but to her luck, it wasn't him. It was Ulster. He wore his typical dirt brown flat cap, standing tall, long whitish-yellow wrappings covering half of the left side of his face. In his hand was some sort of package with brown paper. "Can I come in?"

"Um.. sure." she replied, eyeing him suspiciously. He walked into the room, pausing once he was right beside her chair. "Yes?"

"Merry Christmas Munster!" Ulster gave a weak smile, holding up the package.

"It's... Christmas?" Munster asked, a little awkward.

"Yes..?" Ulster raised an eyebrow, lowering the present slightly.

"Huh... I thought it was the 17th."

"No, it's Christmas," Ulster replied with a small chuckle.

"Are you sure you aren't messing with me?" Munster asked, crossing her arms with a raised eyebrow.

"Not at all, but let's think just in case you don't believe me. It's the 25th, Christmas falls on the 25th so I think-" Ulster started to laugh as Munster scowled, smacking him lightly with her hand. "Oh shut it you gobshite!"

Munster couldn't help laughing a little as well, and after a couple of moments, Ulster sighed, "Alright I'll stop teasing you."

But before he could continue, Munster asked at once, "Did Ireland tell you to come here?"

Ulster paused before giving a sigh and nodding, "Well... Yes, he did."

"Typical." Munster muttered under her breath.

"Munster, you can't blame him. You've been avoiding everybody, and I completely understand why," Ulster's tone turned bitter and sulky. "I understand full well, especially since six of my counties are now going to remain under British rule."

"They aren't going to make you leave right?" Munster asked suddenly, an uncomfortable thought coming to her.

"As far as I know, it doesn't appear to be that way. I mean, Northern Ireland is gone but I think that was expected. If the British have one, why would they want the other?" He sighed, looking at the ground. "I wanted to talk to NI but... Well... that doesn't matter. My point is, I understand your anger fully."

Munster didn't reply immediately, hm. "Ulster. You don't seem to be as angry as I am though. I would have expected-"

"That's because I had a feeling this was going to happen or something like this." Ulster was staring off into the distance now, "I mean why else did Northern Ireland appear? Same with Southern, though... I am not certain... Nevermind. Just take your gift."

He moved his hand holding the package and held it out to Munster. She took it gently, the dusty brown paper crinkling in her hands, which caused her to grimace. She disliked that sound. Her fingers moved to the black twine, keeping it shut, undoing it, and watching it fall silently to the ground. The package opened almost like a flower opening to show its center. Inside was a small dark blue box.

"Oh it's a box. How generous." Munster frowned, her expression incredibly unimpressed.

"You're welcome." Ulster replied, causing Munster to roll her eyes as she opened the lid of the blue box to find a silver chain necklace, the bail connecting to the center of a coat of arms. But not just any, a coat of arms that had a particular red deer on it with yellow antlers. The familiar coat of arms of the Kingdom of Munster. She was speechless, tracing a finger over the symbol, feeling amazed. Tears seemed to spawn at the corners of her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. "I... thank you Ulster... I don't know what to say..."

"Leinster and I wanted to get something related to the Kingdom of Munster and thought that would work, so—" Ulster cut off as Munster hugged him tightly. " Thank you!"

Ulster smiled, and when Munster let go, he spoke casually, "Soo where's my gift!?"

"Shut up," Munster laughed before letting out a deep sigh, "I guess you're not awful at cheering people up."

"Well when you're the oldest out of all the provinces it feels like you have to be the most responsible." Ulster shrugged.

"I guess that makes sense. Your Christmas present is downstairs by the way if you were wondering of course." Munster added.

"Wasn't that worried about it. But Munster, I know I keep saying it, but I do understand how you feel. Avoiding everyone though won't make it better. We can't risk our family breaking apart further." Ulster replied sternly.

"I know. Trust me, I know full well. But I feel like this will continue to escalate Ulster. You can't disagree with that." Ulster didn't reply. Munster stared down at the necklace once more. But finally, he spoke once more,

"Perhaps it will, but Munster we can't..." he drifted off, seeming to not even know how to continue that sentence.

"Ulster, I get it. I've already had arguments; I've talked with you about this already, you know my feelings. I think for now I don't want to talk about it." Munster sighed, rubbing her thumb against the glass of the necklace that kept the center safe. Ulster leaned against the desk, staring blankly at the wall before Munster stood up, "I'll go downstairs with you. Besides, you still have to open your gift and so do the others."

Ulster stood with a tired smile, "Even Ireland?"

"Ah... Well... I may still avoid him."

"You are as predictable as ever."

Munster snorted, "let's just go."

The two left the room, Munster excited for Ulster and the other provinces to see their gifts. The dim hallway was decorated in dark green and red, and the wooden floorboards creaked underneath their feet.

Munster took the necklace with her, feeling a warm sensation, almost like fire burning inside her, as she held it. She refused to let go of it. She wanted to be like the Kingdom of Munster, not afraid to back down.

End.

Alright so a couple notes:

The treaty did set the stage for the Irish Civil War, as many of the terms didn't seem fair. 

Michael Collins (and others) were sent to negotiate terms with the British. The results were already listed but just in case anybody needs reminding: Ireland was a dominion under the British,  allegiance now had to be to the United Kingdom, three ports were held onto by the British for defense purposes, andd the North basically would remain British.

Some people thought of Michael Collins as a traitor because of the treaty although it really wasn't his fault. He didn't really like the terms, but they were the best they could have, and he believed it was a step towards full independence.

 There is more to the Northern Ireland issue in the treaty than Munster's POV showed, mainly because Munster isn't really the most reliable when it comes to narration. 

The treaty did, in fact, partition Ireland into two separate entities, the Irish Free State (aka the Republic, the one we all know and love) and the  North  (to accommodate the Protestant Unionists who wanted to remain a part of Britain)

Northern Ireland had the right to opt out of Ireland if it wanted to. Its parliament voted a majority to remain within the UK. However, there were (and are) Catholic Nationalists in the North who didn't like (and still dislike) the partition. In fact, two counties attempted to leave the North during the Civil War (it was supported by pro-Treaty members), but this was unsuccessful. 

I think that's all I have to say on that unless y'all have any questions.

Now, about Dublin mentioning how he died a few times, cities in my AU can be killed but will usually come back, unless of course it's something more extreme like fire (it's like a 50% with that) and a few other ways which won't be mentioned for lore purposes..

There also may or may not have been a reason an ex-certain country was mentioned... 

Can't say who though. I want to keep it a secret a littleeee bit longer. 

Now, questions, thoughts, theories, concerns? 

Well then, that is all today!

I hope you had a great Christmas/day and I will see y'all next year! 

I am funny right? 

No?

aw..

Well, Slán!