{ discedo ● ooc ● application }
Name: Hallie
LJ: absynthess
E-Mail: a.halcyon.queen@gmail.com
IM: upsiloness@aim
Characters played at Discedo: n/a
Character's Name: The Kingdom of the Netherlands
Series: Axis Powers Hetalia
Timeline: Present day -- 2010
Canon Resource Link: character & country
The Netherlands has been around for awhile, as far as nations go. During the time of the Roman Empire, the areas south of the Rhine river were organized into the provinces of Gallia Belgica and Germania Inferior. These areas were mostly populated by various Germanic tribes, with some influence and settlement from Gaul. The Salian Franks, who were originally from further west, also came to the region, and it was they who established the Merovingian Dynasty. Essentially, Netherlands was a young child during the time of the Roman Empire, a grandson of Germania but controlled by Rome. He and his sister Belgium were mostly grouped together, and much of their influence came from France, another nation who couldn’t decide whether to be Latin or Germanic.
Once Rome fell and the Dark Ages set in, the provinces of Gallia Belgica and Germania Inferior were reorganized into what became known as the Low Countries. Under the governance of a series of Dukes of Brabant and Burgundy, the Low Countries (which would have consisted of the modern-day states of Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg), were a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Formal union with the HRE was always tentative, growing a bit stronger under the rule of the Hapsburgs. So, as Netherlands grew into adolescence, he was still closely tied to his sister, but living in the same house as Austria, Hungary, the HRE, and Italy.
Under the rule of Charles V, the Spanish and Holy Roman Empires came to be one entity. However, when Charles abdicated in 1555, he split his empire between his brother and his son. The son, Philip II, came to possess Spain, the Spanish colonies, and the Spanish Netherlands-Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg. This would be the period that Netherlands was a teenager, living in the same house as Spain, Romano, and Belgium. However, with the onset of the Reformation, Netherlands’ people began to have vastly different ideas about religion than their Spanish lords. What ensued was the Dutch Revolution and the Council of Blood, a gruesome conflict eventually won the Dutch their freedom. However, because of the tensions and bad blood of the time, whatever relationship Spain and Netherlands may have had was severed. At this point, for the first time in history, Netherlands also became separated from Belgium.
Freedom from Spain meant the onset of the Dutch Golden Age. Independence was declared in 1581, and the Dutch Republic became internationally recognized after the Eighty Years’ War. As an independent nation, the Netherlands grew to be a commercial and colonial power, staking claims in the New World (New Amsterdam), Africa (South Africa), Taiwan (Formosa), and Indonesia (the Dutch East Indies). The Dutch East India Trading Company soon grew to be the largest commercial power of the worlds’ oceans. The Dutch Golden Age ran through the seventeenth century, and it was during this time that Netherlands established relationships outside of the countries he was in close proximity to. He was, in fact, America’s first guardian, and fought with Portugal and Spain for Taiwan’s affections.
When Napoleon came to power following the French Revolution, he quickly conquered all of central Europe, including the Netherlands. The country was under French domination until the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The Congress of Vienna eventually reinstated the Dutch state, but set it up as constitutional monarchy under the House of Orange. However, being a largely liberal state, the government was soon amended to become a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch. The Congress of Vienna had also reunited Belgium and Netherlands, but Belgium was declared an independent monarchy by international intervention in 1830. Essentially, during this time period Netherlands was under France’s thumb, and then under the thumb of the Congress of Vienna, led by England. After regaining his own sovereignty, he was shortly married to his sister Belgium, but they had grown so far apart that this marriage did not last long.
Socialism became a rising trend during the late nineteenth century. The Social Democratic Workers’ Party steadily grew in influence, highlighted by the Railway Strike of 1903 and the elections of 1913. However, then World War I broke out in Europe. Netherlands declared itself neutral, however when Germany invaded Belgium it sent an onslaught of refugees into Netherlands. The German army did march through Dutch territory during this time, but the government allowed it in order to maintain neutrality. During the war, Netherlands was surrounded by fighting countries and sea travel was limited. Hunger became a widespread epidemic, leading to the Aardappeloproer, or Potato rebellion. As a man, Netherlands spent the entirety of the war grinding his teeth but doing relatively little. He clenched his fists when Germany went through him to attack his sister, but then became occupied with hunger.
The Interbellum period was particularly hard on the Netherlands due to the Great Depression. The Dutch government had very strict fiscal policies, and clung to the Gold Standard, so that Netherlands was still economically crippled long after other European nations had recovered. This led to simmering unrest and division in the country. When World War II broke out, Netherlands again insisted on neutrality. Nazi Germany, however, ignored this, and invaded both Belgium and Netherlands. Within weeks the country was overrun and the army completely surrendered; the monarchy fled into exile in Britain and Canada. However, the Dutch Royal Navy and Airforce had not surrendered, and they became the keys of Dutch resistance.
When the Dutch monarchy refused to hand the East Indies over to Japan, the Japanese army invaded Netherlands’ international territory and sent several thousand Dutch citizens to labor camps. However, a large number did escape and managed to make it to Australia. After the Allied invasion of Normandy, the Allies proceeded to the Dutch border. However, Netherlands was not freed until May of 1945, nearly a year later. Many Dutch citizens died during that year, of starvation and freezing. After Hitler committed suicide, Nazi Germany surrendered to the Dutch in Wageningen.
And then things start clearing up. The United Nations is formed and Netherlands becomes a member after getting his monarchy back, and forms the Benelux Trade Agreement with his siblings. Things plod along until the end of the century, when the EU forms. Netherlands gives up his currency in exchange for the Euro, and becomes more connected to everyone else on his continent. Eventually we hit 2010, when Netherlands sends his boys off to South Africa for the Fifa World Cup. Spain beats him in the finals, and Netherlands remembers why he hated that guy so much in the first place.
Personality: Being the epitome of the Dutch people means being defined by the best and worst traits of those people. Falling in line with this, Netherlands’ personality takes after what the rest of the world perceives to be the nature of his people. As it stands, Netherlands is a man who comes off as confident and uncaring. He doesn’t speak much, tends to swear when he does, and is a chronic smoker. He seems taciturn and focused most of the time, but is in truth fueled by emotions which he tries to force down. He is stiffly polite, tries to deny his affections for those around him, and ultimately prefers to be left alone and rebels under pressure or dictation.
Netherlands’ first appearance in the strip "Netherlands and Isolationist Japan" revealed his character to be tricky, aloof, and rough. His mini-profile describes him thusly:» Full of tricks; totally beat Spain up.
» Very cool.
» Has a sister, but doesn't resemble her much.
» Go Dutch! (Pays separately.)
» Usually plays rough, but during Japan's isolation, couldn't go rough, probably because he'd known Japan so long.
From this, we see that Netherlands’ outwards persona is of a man who doesn’t want the world to faze him. He likes to be seen as strong, rebellious, and unaffected, but his relationships with other people and nations take him away from this. Case and point of this would be his relationship with Japan. Though he may have wanted more colonial acquisitions or to "play rough", he put this aside in order to look after Japan’s best interests and warn him of America’s coming. Though that warning was a bit brusque, he still bothered to give it, which shows that his emotions ultimately override his need to be "cool."
Netherlands’ manner of speech is rather rough and somewhat rude. He doesn’t open his mouth very often, as he seems to prefer action to words, but when he does he gets straight to the point. When welcomed to Japan by Osaka, his response is:"Stop being a nuisance. Hurry up and give me some snacks, tea, and Japan, idiot."
This curtness could be the result of his very business-geared mind; a nation of merchants and trade, Netherlands is usually about good deals and making money. As seen in the "Tannenburg: The Aftermath" strips, his sense of business is better than many other prominent nations’, most notably France’s and Germany’s. In side notes, it is stated that he has little of his sister Belgium’s spunky and charming personality. She was influenced by Catholic, agricultural France, while Netherlands went more the route of Protestant, trading England. (Along with England’s influence seems to have come his inability to express emotions and his dirty mouth.)
Other nations tend to view Netherlands as being tense, intimidating, or incomprehensible. Netherlands’ known interactions have been with Japan, Spain, Austria, and Belgium. Belgium seems to have affection for him, as they have a siblings’ relationship, but his dislike of Spain seems to override his affection for her. Because of his strained relationship with Spain, he wants little to do with the other nation. This was true even when Netherlands lived in Spain’s house. At this point in time, Spain, Belgium, Romano, Netherlands and presumably Spain’s other possessions lived together as a family. However, in "The Boss’s Spanish Language Class" strips, when asked to join the "family" for snacks, Netherlands pointedly turns away and mutters, "Not with Spain around." This relationship also comes to light in the strips "Austria Checks Up On Spain And Romano"; when Austria comes to see the other two nations, Netherlands can be seen lurking in the background, presumably brooding over his imminent rebellion against Spain.
From his limited appearances, the picture of Netherlands’ character is this: he’s a man who thinks over everything and likes to plan ahead of time (especially considering his long-simmering rebellion), but when the time comes prefers actions to words. He plays his cards close to the chest and doesn’t like unnecessary talk or expressing his emotions very much. However, he is, according to his series’ creator, a Type A Tsundere, so it stands to reason that most of his strong and stoic person is a cover for ultimately very deep feelings. (Not that anyone would ever know it, from the way that he acts.) He is harsh, unforgiving, and comes off as brusque to the point of rudeness. He seems to take into account the best interests of those around them, but he does have a rebellious side that leads him into unsavory habits, such as his chronic smoking and penchant for young girls. He began as a strong, independent nation that was taken over by numerous others-Austria, France, and Spain, namely-so he doesn’t deal well with being given orders. He can’t take direction well, and tends to make life hellish for anyone who attempts to control him.
Like all nations, his main concern is for his people. He broke away from Spain in order to grant his people religious tolerance, and he ended his union with his sister Belgium in order to allow both peoples to develop independently. Netherlands can be impatient, overly intense, and more than a little intimidating. For the most part, he acts unconcerned with the world around him while taking everything in slowly. He often doesn’t explain things before he takes action, and this causes many to be confused or frustrated with his behavior. However, his heart does seem to be in the right place, so he generally has the best interests of his friends or people as his focus. That being said, though his intentions are good, his outward persona often isn’t, which is why he tends to come off as a rude stoner who only speaks when he can be insulting or swear. However, people usually learn to take this in stride; as Finland mentions:"He’s just kind of a punk that way."
What your character can offer: While Netherlands does not have any super-human abilities, per say, he does share the strengths of most nations. It can be assumed that nations have heightened endurance and power, because they have been seen going to war with their people but in most cases survive without much injury. Netherlands also has the experience and knowledge that come with hundreds of years of life. Personally, he tends to be more level-headed and practical than his peers, able to see beyond most issues to do what needs to be done. He’s been a knight and a soldier, and so knows how to deal with a battlefield. He also has an excellent business sense which stems from his trade-savvy people.
What items will they be bringing with them? Netherlands doesn’t have any signature weapons or anything of that sort, but he is usually seen carrying an ornate pipe that presumably has some importance to him (beyond what one might think initially, since he’s been carrying it around for a few hundred years.) If anything, he’d probably want to bring that along with him.
Third-Person Sample: { set during the winter of 1944-45 }
He probably could have dealt with it if it wasn’t so damn cold. Having lived the last few centuries of his life in a wing of the palace, he was not at all used to living like this-off the land, in the streets, under a steadily falling blanket of snow. Not to say that he was weak; he spent months at a time in Indonesia’s house, and had been a knight, before. There were some things one did not forget. But it was so damn cold.
Sitting in the meeting house, he wrapped his arms around himself and tried to keep from breathing out too much. Every time a foggy breath escaped his lips, he cursed himself for letting go of precious body heat. Even indoors, he could feel a chill creeping up on his limbs, through the holes in his gloves and the legs of his pants. But then, even though he was indoors, this wasn’t surprising. The glass in the windows, after all, had been shattered by bomb blasts over a year ago.
The scarf around his neck was worn to near uselessness, his clothes had been mended and mended again by housewives who would’ve been knitting for their sons instead, had they still lived. Netherlands’ head pounded with fatigue, and his were weary, but still he kept his silent vigil over the town. The half-empty streets and deadly quiet were all he had left, now.
What the hell was taking so long? It had been six months since they’d heard that the Allies-England, his old friend and comrade; America, the boisterous brat who’d once been under his guardianship-had freed France months ago. Russia, their other ally, was supposedly closing in on the east. So why was he still sitting here in the cold, trying to keep his people alive?
“God fucking damn it,” Netherlands spat out through gritted teeth. His breath was visible as it escaped his barely-open lips, and he cursed under his breath again, shivering. Wrapping his arms more tightly around himself, he drew his knees up to his chest and felt his old pipe poking him from the pocket of his threadbare coat. He couldn’t even light it, had not the matches to wait. And what a damn shame. It would’ve calmed his nerves.
“Hurry up, damn it,” he muttered again. And he settled back down to wait.
First-Person Sample:[ As the video feed turns on, the first thing that is visible is a man’s wide forehead, made distinct by the thin, crescent-shaped scar on the right side of the brow. Eventually the camera zooms out, revealing intense green eyes and a pursed mouth. The man glances almost disparagingly at the device, then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cigarette and lighter. When he’s taken a few huffs of the smoke, he finally seems ready to speak. ]
Not sure how I got here, don’t really want to be here.
[ He speaks slowly and deliberately, as though planning on how to use the least amount of words before he begins talking. He looks exasperated, now, and runs his hands through his spiky hair. ]
This world…seems broken. Is broken. I shouldn’t be here.
I’m not nervous. I can handle myself. But people, at home, need me. Can’t go off on some adventure, w’out them.
I can’t leave them behind.
[ He lets out a frustrated sigh, and seems to be on the verge of rolling his eyes when he cuts the feed. ]