aph los application;
CHARACTER
Country Name [Human Name]: Bulgaria [ Dimitar Kostov ]
Apparent Age/Actual Age: 20 / 1328
Appearance:
(only one canon appearance/picture of Bulgaria so far, bare with me here!)
Bulgaria is of average height and build, perhaps a bit on the skinny side due to the long-term state his economy has been and the lack of funds. He is paler than his southern neighbors, without the sunkissed tan they seem to retain, though his hair is just as dark as theirs. Hair is black and straight, yet unkempt. It is parted along the middle, with bangs framing either side of his face. Eyes are an off-color of purple, a bit lighter, which is perhaps due to his long-term close relations with Russia. His clothing is simple - a wrinkled white shirt, pants, maybe a traditional outer vest to symbolize his heritage, and scuffed shoes - hardly the most refined outfitter.
Personality: Bulgaria is a very hospitable nation; a Bulgarian themselves would traditionally be happy to provide for a guest if the circumstances permitted. Said circumstances are whether or not they have ample supplies to spare - as it stands, Bulgaria is the poorest country in the EU, with the average salary per year being a mere 220 euros. Thus, he is certainly used to not living in the lap of luxury and is quite accustomed to being nearly broke and having to simply get by in life; an eternally pessimistic individual-- his history, and present situation suggestion a key factor: One of his utmost skills is survival. Through-out the years, he has proven to be more than capable of such a feat, despite the events and rulers he has suffered under. Whether this be from political cleverness, or sheer endurance and will, it his surely one of his most profound traits that he is extremely tolerable.
Bulgaria obtains a deep respect for education and religion, being a very religious nation in itself. He is a generally kind, determined and fun loving nation; drinking and then sleeping in seem to be one of his hobbies. Though, he loves to do things his own way, and often looks down on any course of action other than his own. Quite frankly, he sees others (especially foreigners) as being dumb and not quite-on-par to his standards. Because of this, and always thinking he knows best, he is not a team player and thus does not work very well in groups - only preferring to be solitary.
In particular, he is known for his craftiness. He is indecisive and distrusting. This also goes back to the subject of survival and how to get by in life. Sneakiness and often scheming for money is something he is completely unabashed about. He will accept a bribe easily; as well as be paid for certain deeds and work that may (probably) be seen as... questionable. A Bulgarian national sport seems to be “law-breaking”-- eager to cross the line and see how long he can get away with it. Because of this complete disregard for rules, one of the main things he needs primarily is discipline; which, socially, is also another reason for his membership into the E.U.. It was thought that perhaps this would decrease the levels of crime, though considering, it could also just be seen as another set of rules to get around of and break.
Weapons: TANKS. No I'm joking. But Bulgaria does have a helluva lotta tanks per person. Or a stick. Yeah uh so.. none.
Your Favorite place to hide: under the bed, of course. ;)
History: The first Bulgarian state was established in 635 A.D. About two hundred years later, Bulgaria adopted Orthodox Christianity as its official religion. Around the ninth and tenth centuries, Bulgaria went through a golden age, in which art, literature, and education flourished. An early form of the Cyrillic alphabet was even formed during this time, the alphabet itself originating in the area, and at its extent, under Simeon I the great, its territory spread from from the Black Sea to Budapest and Ukraine, to the Adriatic Sea.
However, after Simeon's death, the empire soon went into a slow decline. In 1018, the Byzantine Empire conquered Bulgaria. In 1185, the Vlach-Bulgarian Rebellion took place. It is named appropriately so for being a revolt of the Bulgars and Vlachs against the Byzantine empire. It was a success, and in that same year Byzantine was forced to recognize Bulgaria as a free independent state: The Second Kingdom of Bulgaria, with Tsar Peter IV inheriting the Bulgarian crown.
Unfortunately, the empire once again entered into decline and began to lose territory to its neighbors. In 1396, Bulgaria was completely conquered by the Ottoman Empire. It would be under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries. During this period, Bulgarian people were vehemently oppressed. They were not even allowed to wear the same color of clothing as their Muslim occupiers. Several failed rebellions took place, all being suppressed with unheard of brutality. It finally culminated to the April Uprising of 1876; one of the largest scale rebellions the Bulgarians held and, regrettably, also poorly planned and executed. The uprising failed; with the Ottoman irregular bashi-bazouk units, known for their disorderly conduct, used to suppress it. Estimates of up to 30,000 Bulgarians were killed and 58 villages destroyed. The largest massacre occurred at the town of Batak; in which 5000-6000 people were killed. It was the catalyst for Russo-Turkish War which took placed a year later, ending with the Treaty of San Stefano, and likewise ended in Bulgaria's liberation from the Ottoman Empire.
Later, Bulgaria entered into the First and Second Balkan Wars in order to gain more territory; both having various territorial gains and losses. With the beginning of World War I, Bulgaria allied the Central Powers. Following the World War II, Bulgaria allied with the Axis Powers. In regards to initial passivity, Bulgaria eventually entered into action with its invasion of the Aegean region. Bulgaria never declared war against the Soviet Union; despite his side doing so. It also refused to give-up its some 50,000 Jews to the Third Reich; though, in the face of this, it rounded up all Jews in the Greek and Vardar Macedonian regions and sent them Auschwitz. On August 28th, 1943, the then current leader of Bulgaria, Tsar Boris III, after meeting with Hitler, died mysteriously one week later. The winter of 1943-1944, the Allied forces inflicted heavy damage with bombings on Sofia and other major towns in Bulgaria. Anti-war sentiments swiftly rose, and even communist guerrilla actions took place against the then fascist government. At virtually the last minute, Bulgaria sought peace with the allies, even declaring war on Nazi Germany, but agreements could not be reached. Consequently, it became the only nation to ever be at war with Russia, America, the United Kingdom (but don't forget the rest of the allied nations!) and Germany at once. Russia then invaded Bulgaria, and before WWII had even ended, communist leaders had already seized control.
On September 15th, 1946, the People's Republic of Bulgaria was officially declared. It remained a loyal satellite of the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War, and was generally regarded as the Soviet Union's most loyal European ally. Bulgaria was particularly known for supplying assassins. Todor Zhivkov, head of the Bulgarian Communist Party, ruled it for 27 years. Finally, in 1989, Zhivkov was ousted from power and democratic changes soon took place. The following year, the first presidential election of the Republic of Bulgaria took place.
SAMPLES
First Person:
(2:11:24): hello
(2:13:00): ...
(2:13:14): greece u there?
(2:13:48): answer me fgt
(2:14:03): jk
(2:14:10): ur not rly lol
(2:14:32): however turkey i c u ill blow ur fcking head off
(2:14:53): asshole
(2:16:07): not rly
(2:18:12): lol...
(2:18:20): u 2 russia
(2:19:39): …........
(2:20:12) yea nvm...
Third Person:
Silence. Otherworldly silence, for the most part-- and it was unnerving. The only sound he could hear, other than the wind whistling through the treetops and the rustle of leaves, was the crunch of them as he stepped and the sound of his own, slightly quickened breathing. And he could not see anyone in sight - normal human or fellow nation alike, which only added to the grim atmosphere. But did he want to meet up with anyone? After learning and having such an introduction to this savage “game”, no, he most certainly did not.
Though, plans were already being formulated in his head. He took another cautious step forward, eyes darting from side to side, almost willing anyone else to show themselves; the subsequent crunch of dead leaves and shifting of soil underfoot seemed utterly obnoxious and unbearable in such a silence. His weapon held to his chest in a shaky grip, and his PDA clutched to his side, he slowly began to make his way out into the wild; the unknown waiting for him.