(no subject)
Name: Hallie
Journal: moirae
Contact: maidoftime@aim ; ottomans@plurk
Character Name: The Kingdom of the Netherlands | Willem de Jong
Series: Axis Powers Hetalia
Gender: Male
Age & Canon Point: Appears about 23/4 | Modern-day 2011
Requested Sponsor: Ruby
Entry position (Cadet, SeeD, Instructor, other): Cadet
History: country | character
Abilities & Physical Abnormalities: As a country, Netherlands is effectively immortal, having lived thousands of years. His life span, maturity, and health are tied to the state and mindset of his people, politics and economy, as opposed to physical factors.
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 are your plans for the character in-game? I’d like to explore the way Netherlands would react to a more human setting. Since he tends to be a fairly individualistic person, exploring his relationships with other students/staff could be very fun. Also he’d be the most stoic cadet ever, and everyone wants that, right…
Anything else? n/a
Complete TWO out of the FOUR options.
i) IC Questionnaire
What do you prefer to be known as? Whatever I say, you’ll chose the opposite. Nederland works just fine, so does Holland. People who can’t rap their heads ‘round that can say Willem. Don’t much care either way.
How old are you? Dunno-you tell me. Or ask someone who was around two thousand years ago, I stopped counting.
Do you have any history in combat? Been neutral since before the second World War. But even after that, I’ve been dragged into it. So, yes. Tons of it, though it’s not really my style.
If so, have you ever killed? I went to war, I survived. Does that answer the question.
i) How do you feel when you get involved in some project that calls for immediate and rapid activity? …I get it over with, then go back to whatever I was doing. Don’t bother thinking about how I feel.
ii) Do you organize and initiate leisure activities? Sure. Tulip festivals, going drinking, bike rides. Don’t know how much calling up a few people and spending time with ‘em counts as organizing, though.
iii) What role do you take when working in a group? Don’t really like groups. Prefer things my way-it’s simpler. When I have to, I’ll help out with others. Someone else can take the lead, but I do my part.
iv) How talkative are you around other people? Zus would say not very. Can’t say I disagree.
v) What three things would you want to have with you on a desert island? State your reasoning. Something to eat, something to do, someone to do it with. Maybe something to smoke or drink.
vi) Is it important to be liked by a wide range of people? No.
vii) When the odds are against you, is it worth taking a chance? Sure. That’s half the fun.
viii) Do you consider yourself to be an impulsive person? Sometimes, I guess. I mostly just do whatever occurs to me.
ix) Would you agree that planning things ahead takes the fun out of life? Maybe, a bit. Unless ..’s something that needs planning.
x) Do you like surprises? No.
xi) Do you sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with you? No. If I felt that way, I’d change it, wouldn’t I.
xii) Do you consider yourself to be smarter than your superiors, and disagree with their decisions? All the time. Don’t really feel the need to tell them that, though.
xiii) Lastly, how do you feel about cabbages? You eat ‘em.
iv) Thread link
here.