headcanon meme
Stolen from tumblr.
Long, so behind a cut.
1. Do they have any daily rituals?
A long bath at night, at least a couple of hours spent with the piano, and coffee, coffee, coffee. Meals are something of a ritual in themselves. Not just eating them, but cooking them; he likes to make a full three course meal every evening if he has guests, sometimes even alone, but he'll also just throw together (gourmet) leftovers if he's busy composing or something. Going without dinner is unheard of!
2. What does their bedroom look like?
Mostly ivory, violet, silver/gold, in terms of colour scheme, but he changes it up occasionally (like...teal or rose instead of violet). Four-poster bed, a big dressing table thing, a little couch, walk-in closet, bunch of other antique junk. Lots of silk, very comfy and fluffy all around, luxurious carpet. The only problem with it is that it's super messy, his clothes and stuff are everywhere. It's light now, but in the past he had darker wood and colour schemes.
3. Do they exercise, and if so, what do they do? How often?
HAHAHA. No. Not at all if he can help it.
4. What would they do if they needed to make dinner but the kitchen was busy?
Complain loudly. What the fuck are people doing in his kitchen?
5. Cleanliness habits (personal, workspace, etc.)
Extraordinarily resistant to even the idea of being dirty. Gross. But his workspace and his house are only tidy because he has maids and such. Were it left to him, he wouldn't let things get dirty, just really disorganised.
6. Eating habits and sample daily menu
He eats a lot, actually, even though he (according to Himaruya!) doesn't show it. A day's meals would be breakfast: coffee (maybe tea), something like pancakes or an omelette with ham or bacon, Semmeln (that is, bread rolls), maybe cereal, pastries...varied and quite large, but by and large a Continental sort of breakfast. Then maybe a mid-morning snack- if it is indeed morning. Probably not. Lunch would be, strictly speaking, the main meal of the day if he could only get up in time for it. Either way, his main meal could be anything from his own traditional fare or something more French or...whatever he feels like. He's a master chef, don't you know. Probably a soup or salad starter, some kind of meat dish (less often fish) then an elaborate dessert, if he's entertaining. The sort of thing you'd get at any restaurant. Otherwise, pasta dishes (he does share a fair amount of cultural crossover with Italy) and gnocchi-like things, dumplings, recipes calling for various cheeses, stews, likely with a Hungarian or Czech influence, certain fish and seafoods or game beasts/birds (from his various regions), wild vegetables... Sweet foods are a huge part of his cuisine, with various tortes being his most prized. Austrian (rather, Viennese) cuisine draws on all the lands of the Habsburg Empire, so it's difficult to say what he might eat on a given day beyond breakfast. Of course, typical Austrian/German things like Schnitzel and Sauerkraut et al make plenty of appearances.
7. Favorite way to waste time and feelings surrounding wasting time
As you can see, eating. But no, really. He doesn't consider his hobbies to be a waste of time, though they don't really achieve anything. Music, cooking, reading and otherwise indulging his interests...it all comes before work, so I suppose you could say he elevates wasting time to a fine art. An actual waste of time, to him, would be...I don't know, whatever Prussia is doing today. Or, indeed, meetings.
8. Favorite indulgence and feelings surrounding indulging
...It's complicated. He spends a fortune on certain things, notably eating, but this is a 'necessity' to him. His indulgences are excused, in his mind, by being absolutely necessary to his wellbeing...! Sugary foods would be his major indulgence, I suppose. Since he does on occasion chide others for eating too much. He also likes to stay in bed all day (alone or with company). Eating in bed! He shouldn't, but he does.
9. Makeup?
If this were for female Austria I'd go on at length but for Roderich, no, not really. Maybe concealer. He does have an extensive skincare and haircare routine, however. (He is basically capable of applying it, though, for theatrical and/or crossdressing sorts of purposes...)
10. Neuroses? Do they recognize them as such?
Er...where do I start? He's obsessively attentive to detail in clothing, cooking, art, music...and he obviously has that little hoarding problem. I don't know if his cheapness counts, since it's so hypocritical and vaguely applied.
11. Intellectual pursuits?
Composing and playing. If he meets an unfamiliar instrument, his goal is to master it! He reads voraciously when he feels like it, too, see below. Sketching and painting, writing, theatre, things like that, he appreciates and occasionally takes part in them all.
12. Favorite book genre?
His favourite genres would be non-fiction on the topics of music and art history, royalty and psychology, but he also enjoys, er, romance novels, as well as mystery and philosophical or psychological fiction. And obscure, abstract and mildly kinky stuff that screams art major.
13. Sexual orientation? And, regardless of own orientation, thoughts on sexual orientation in general?
Bisexual with a more or less fifty-fifty split on sexual attraction, but a slight leaning towards women, romantically and aesthetically. Slight enough not to be noticeable, really. He doesn't really have any thoughts on it. He's not particularly religious, he's certainly not confused about his orientation...he just doesn't give it a lot of thought. He did when he was younger, perhaps, especially from a 'this is psychologically fascinating!' point of view. (A note; I use 'bisexual' as it's the term I tend to automatically use, and what I think he would say if asked, but 'pansexual' would probably be applicable should the issue arise.)
14. Physical abnormalities? (Both visible and not, including injuries/disabilities, long-term illnesses, food-intolerances, etc.)
He's so unfit, it's unreal. Not just in a gets-no-exercise-has-no-stamina way, like, he can't walk around for more than ten minutes?! I don't know. I tend to put that in the 'just for fun' category because it's such a pain to RP. He'd have to be, for example, painfully anaemic or something to be that bad (I know from personal experience). He was once in a wheelchair apparently, but we were never told when or why, so...
15. Biggest and smallest short term goal?
Biggest, and this is a very private goal, GET OUT OF BED BEFORE 11AM FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, OF YOUR OWN ACCORD. Smallest, er. Retune that violin you left lying around saying you were going to do it but didn't.
16. Biggest and smallest long term goal?
Biggest...get used to being effectively single forever (even though he can be, and is, in a relationship, he can't get married, which would make it 'official' in his warped little mind). Smallest, organise the wardrobe! This is long term because he has hundreds of years' worth of stuff in there.
17. Preferred mode of dress and rituals surrounding dress
Naked. No. Foppish Edwardian-Baroque fusion idk what it is. He wears a lot of layers, so putting them all on (and taking them all off) is a small ritual in itself. Little things like tying a necktie and putting cufflinks on make an outfit complete, in his mind. It's like a preparation for what he's about to do, be it something inconsequential or incredibly important.
18. Favorite beverage?
Coffee! Hot chocolate comes close. He has a very strong coffee culture. Speaking alcoholically, he likes white wine better than red, especially in a spritzer, but he can get along with good beer.
19. What do they think about before falling asleep at night?
What he's going to have for breakfast tomorrow. Or a piece of music he hasn't been able to get on paper yet. Or, you know, his partner, should he be with one.
20. Childhood illnesses? Any interesting stories behind them?
See above for this mystery wheelchair. I HAVE NO IDEA, OKAY. People like to have him in it after or during WW1/WW2, but I believe that's inaccurate to canon and unlikely. Some earlier conflict, perhaps.
21. Turn-ons? Turn-offs?
He's a legs and ass man. Mainly, anyway. He likes uniforms, younger men, older women, being submissive, being dominant, spanking and other punishments, light bondage, certain accents, those who are more cheerful, open and easygoing than himself, those who are rougher and less sophisticated than himself, those who can match or best him in a game of wits...on a nerdier note, music. A fine composition can be very sexy to him, though you plebes may not understand it. Turn offs...crudeness. To a point it's a guilty pleasure, but it becomes plain unappealing eventually. Also when roleplay/bondage/etc becomes either too forced or too serious. Stereotypically porny stuff is no good either. And he's a priss about bacteria and what have you.
22. Given a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and nothing to do, what would happen?
Music would happen, of course. Maybe doodles too, like just writing his name or drawing little pictures.
23. How organized are they? How does this organization/disorganization manifest in their everyday life?
Ha. Ha. He's incredibly disorganised. You can tell just by looking around his house. His beautiful library? Not alphabetised. His ornate music room? Where the fuck did he leave those guitar strings. His study? Why are there cookies in the desk drawer?
24. Is there one subject of study that they excel at? Or do they even care about intellectual pursuits at all?
I'm getting repetitive, but music theory, obviously, and psychology. Literature too, I expect.
25. How do they see themselves 5 years from today?
Exactly the same, probably. Five years is a drop in the ocean. A country may fluctuate constantly, but real overnight change is very rare.
26. Do they have any plans for the future? Any contingency plans if things don’t workout?
As a country, besides the usual plans for economic growth and so forth, Austria may plan to try and integrate with the EU a little more and thus be less reliant on trading with Germany (this has already happened, but it's still ongoing). Increasing tourism from nations other than Germany is important economically. Growth has been very good for a while now, with Austria being one of the richest economies worldwide with a high standard of living, and it's also socially quite stable for the time being; the reduction of its reliance on Germany is probably the most likely thing Austria as a character would be thinking of.
27. What is their biggest regret?
This is very hard to answer for a nation, but I would assume both world wars would be pretty high up there. Allowing such things to happen is something that led not only to horrible things happening on his watch but also his own fall from a very prominent position.
28. Who do they see as their best friend? Their worst enemy?
Best friend (inasmuch as he has one): Germ...any. I'm going to say Germany. The canon wants us to think it's Hungary or Switzerland but honestly, Germany is closer to Austria currently. It does have pretty close ties to Switzerland but the whole thing in the strips about Switz founding(?!?) Austria is...nonsensical, unless I'm reading something wrong. Hungary was a major part of the empire back in the day, and relations were varied (and often rather touching, actually) around and after WW2, but currently they're neighbourly and nothing more.
Worst enemy: HAHA, PRUSSIA (kind of) but also France. I mean, rivalry with Prussia died down a lot eventually and he has diplomatic relations with France, but come on, he hates (sort of) them both. Actually, considering Prussia is a relative, France may actually win this round of 'who does Austria have the most distaste for'.
29. Reaction to sudden extrapersonal disaster (eg The house is on fire! What do they do?)
Find Germany, complain until something is done about it.
30. Reaction to sudden intrapersonal disaster (eg close family member suddenly dies)
Find Germany, complain as a coping mechanism. Compose a requiem?! People he knows don't really die. Humans, of course, do. He observes a mourning period but eventually he has to get back up and get on with watching another one die on him.
31. Most prized possession?
His piano. It is his waifu. Among other musical paraphernalia, most of which is very old, probably.
32. Thoughts on material possessions in general?
Hoarder. Can't bear to part with them. Attaches way too much emotional baggage to physical items. Also, why are you throwing that out, you could get so much use out of that still!!!
33. Concept of home and family?
His home is...Vienna. I say Vienna, because Austria as a whole has changed a lot over many years, but Vienna has remained constant. It is quite literally where the heart is. His house- representative of the nation, as nation 'houses' are said to be- is his castle, fortress, retreat, whatever. He's safe and at ease there and he doesn't like to change it or have it intruded upon. Family...is tricky...because it could cover a lot of people. Nations, that is. His family used to be much bigger. These days, it's primarily Germany, Prussia and their brothers, and to an extent Hungary, Italy and certain others. His concept of family has obviously shifted, and was never that solid to begin with, since he's not human.
34. Thoughts on privacy? (Are they a private person, or are they prone to ‘TMI’?)
Very private person, but unfortunately prone to letting things slip. Extremely discreet about certain things, though. Relationships and so forth. Until he marries them in a gigantic ceremony...
35. What activities do they enjoy, but consider to be a waste of time?
Er, soap operas...n-not that he makes a habit of it.
36. What makes them feel guilty?
SEE ABOVE. More overtly, sometimes he feels guilty after getting particularly snappy with someone.
37. Are they more analytical or more emotional in their decision-making?
Quite balanced, though it depends on the decision, of course. One would think he might be more analytical but he's an emotional person, in general. It's quite easy to see from his outbursts when he's annoyed or distressed.
38. Would they consider themselves a Type A or Type B personality?
Type B. Little elements of Type A, but despite that surface similarity to Germany (a classic A) he's notably different.
39. What recharges them when they’re feeling drained?
A glass of wine, some music (either playing or listening), a good meal, sleep...usually by himself. He's often with other people but he's an introvert, in that he recharges by spending time alone. It can also do him good to spend a weekend solely with a lover instead of with, well, the rest of the world.
40. Would you say that they have a superiority-complex? Inferiority-complex? Neither?
Both! He's genuinely arrogant and convinced of his own cultural superiority in a lot of areas. But his personality and the stoic front he has are a little bit of a cover for the uncertainty he felt in childhood. He's not really at ease with himself, especially with his looks; he's quite insecure, despite reassurance. He's only comfortable when things go exactly as he wants them to, so losing his glasses or wearing casual clothes, or doing something he's unused to, or even laughing unreservedly, all make him kind of uncomfortable because he feels exposed in some way.
41. How misanthropic are they?
He likes humans well enough...well, you have to, being a nation. But other nations can mostly just fuck off as far as he's concerned. He likes family more than friends and acquaintances, and he likes partners even more. He's pretty good with social situations and actually could call a lot of people friends, but he wouldn't think of himself as a people-person at all.
42. Hobbies?
WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS A MILLION TIMES...music, cooking, gardening, sewing (fashion?), reading etc etc.
43. How far did they get in formal education? What are their views on formal education vs self-education?
He thinks everyone should go to school and university. He himself, not being human, of course, is mainly self-taught, though he had plenty of what passed for formal education back in the day. He's very book-smart and was extraordinarily curious in his youth, so he learnt much more than was really required of him.
44. Religion?
Catholic, but very lapsed. (I'd say agnostic, but God appears to be canon...) He observes token things like Mass at Christmas but Lent is a no-go. He wears a cross more as a personal talisman than a religious one. And he still says 'grüß Gott', haha.
45. Superstitions or views on the occult?
Largely dismissive of it all, but prone to old superstitions, like a lot of people.
46. Do they express their thoughts through words or deeds?
Deeds I suppose. He has a lovely turn of phrase, but he's better at, say, sending a gift than saying something nice out loud. He tries, of course.
47. If they were to fall in love, who (or what) is their ideal?
He doesn't have a 'type', as such- though, if asked, he would describe the qualities he likes, and they would sound similar to his own...and it would be a lie, pretty much, because he consistently chooses those (almost) totally different to himself. I think he would value loyalty very much if he were being honest, and that is something he attempts to show his partners. But that doesn't necessarily mean fidelity or never contradicting him or anything like that, it mostly means not abandoning him. He also appreciates someone who will dwell on the past with him...or at least tolerate him doing that. Someone who understands him- cliché, but being that he prefers not to discuss his feelings in depth, it's easier on both parties if they can read one another. Thus, he prefers those he already has a long history with. (In his youth, of course, that wasn't a requisite.)
48. How do they express love?
By...proposing...NO, NO. BAD AUSTRIA. No. In glances and touches, straightening of collars and stroking of hair, attentiveness to their details, concessions to their preferences, allowing them to see him without his frills (literal and metaphorical)...if he's writing compositions for you- the most heartwrenchingly, pathetically teenage of things a musician can do, in his humble opinion- you can be assured you are quite special to him.
49. If this person were to get into a fist fight, what is their fighting style like?
AUSTRIA used FLAIL->It's not very effective!->AUSTRIA used SCREAM FOR GERMANY/HUNGARY/ANYONE
50. Is this person afraid of dying? Why or why not?
Nope. In the human sense of dying, he can't. Well, he can, but only temporarily. It can be painful and unpleasant and generally horrible, so he wants to avoid it, but he's not really frightened of it, because he's done it a fair few times. In the more nation-y sense of 'ceasing to exist', that one is scary. He's technically done that once and it didn't actually kill him, but he never wants to risk it again. Even if his personality might dictate that he isn't so very afraid of death, as a nation, he has an instinct to persist.
Long, so behind a cut.
1. Do they have any daily rituals?
A long bath at night, at least a couple of hours spent with the piano, and coffee, coffee, coffee. Meals are something of a ritual in themselves. Not just eating them, but cooking them; he likes to make a full three course meal every evening if he has guests, sometimes even alone, but he'll also just throw together (gourmet) leftovers if he's busy composing or something. Going without dinner is unheard of!
2. What does their bedroom look like?
Mostly ivory, violet, silver/gold, in terms of colour scheme, but he changes it up occasionally (like...teal or rose instead of violet). Four-poster bed, a big dressing table thing, a little couch, walk-in closet, bunch of other antique junk. Lots of silk, very comfy and fluffy all around, luxurious carpet. The only problem with it is that it's super messy, his clothes and stuff are everywhere. It's light now, but in the past he had darker wood and colour schemes.
3. Do they exercise, and if so, what do they do? How often?
HAHAHA. No. Not at all if he can help it.
4. What would they do if they needed to make dinner but the kitchen was busy?
Complain loudly. What the fuck are people doing in his kitchen?
5. Cleanliness habits (personal, workspace, etc.)
Extraordinarily resistant to even the idea of being dirty. Gross. But his workspace and his house are only tidy because he has maids and such. Were it left to him, he wouldn't let things get dirty, just really disorganised.
6. Eating habits and sample daily menu
He eats a lot, actually, even though he (according to Himaruya!) doesn't show it. A day's meals would be breakfast: coffee (maybe tea), something like pancakes or an omelette with ham or bacon, Semmeln (that is, bread rolls), maybe cereal, pastries...varied and quite large, but by and large a Continental sort of breakfast. Then maybe a mid-morning snack- if it is indeed morning. Probably not. Lunch would be, strictly speaking, the main meal of the day if he could only get up in time for it. Either way, his main meal could be anything from his own traditional fare or something more French or...whatever he feels like. He's a master chef, don't you know. Probably a soup or salad starter, some kind of meat dish (less often fish) then an elaborate dessert, if he's entertaining. The sort of thing you'd get at any restaurant. Otherwise, pasta dishes (he does share a fair amount of cultural crossover with Italy) and gnocchi-like things, dumplings, recipes calling for various cheeses, stews, likely with a Hungarian or Czech influence, certain fish and seafoods or game beasts/birds (from his various regions), wild vegetables... Sweet foods are a huge part of his cuisine, with various tortes being his most prized. Austrian (rather, Viennese) cuisine draws on all the lands of the Habsburg Empire, so it's difficult to say what he might eat on a given day beyond breakfast. Of course, typical Austrian/German things like Schnitzel and Sauerkraut et al make plenty of appearances.
7. Favorite way to waste time and feelings surrounding wasting time
As you can see, eating. But no, really. He doesn't consider his hobbies to be a waste of time, though they don't really achieve anything. Music, cooking, reading and otherwise indulging his interests...it all comes before work, so I suppose you could say he elevates wasting time to a fine art. An actual waste of time, to him, would be...I don't know, whatever Prussia is doing today. Or, indeed, meetings.
8. Favorite indulgence and feelings surrounding indulging
...It's complicated. He spends a fortune on certain things, notably eating, but this is a 'necessity' to him. His indulgences are excused, in his mind, by being absolutely necessary to his wellbeing...! Sugary foods would be his major indulgence, I suppose. Since he does on occasion chide others for eating too much. He also likes to stay in bed all day (alone or with company). Eating in bed! He shouldn't, but he does.
9. Makeup?
If this were for female Austria I'd go on at length but for Roderich, no, not really. Maybe concealer. He does have an extensive skincare and haircare routine, however. (He is basically capable of applying it, though, for theatrical and/or crossdressing sorts of purposes...)
10. Neuroses? Do they recognize them as such?
Er...where do I start? He's obsessively attentive to detail in clothing, cooking, art, music...and he obviously has that little hoarding problem. I don't know if his cheapness counts, since it's so hypocritical and vaguely applied.
11. Intellectual pursuits?
Composing and playing. If he meets an unfamiliar instrument, his goal is to master it! He reads voraciously when he feels like it, too, see below. Sketching and painting, writing, theatre, things like that, he appreciates and occasionally takes part in them all.
12. Favorite book genre?
His favourite genres would be non-fiction on the topics of music and art history, royalty and psychology, but he also enjoys, er, romance novels, as well as mystery and philosophical or psychological fiction. And obscure, abstract and mildly kinky stuff that screams art major.
13. Sexual orientation? And, regardless of own orientation, thoughts on sexual orientation in general?
Bisexual with a more or less fifty-fifty split on sexual attraction, but a slight leaning towards women, romantically and aesthetically. Slight enough not to be noticeable, really. He doesn't really have any thoughts on it. He's not particularly religious, he's certainly not confused about his orientation...he just doesn't give it a lot of thought. He did when he was younger, perhaps, especially from a 'this is psychologically fascinating!' point of view. (A note; I use 'bisexual' as it's the term I tend to automatically use, and what I think he would say if asked, but 'pansexual' would probably be applicable should the issue arise.)
14. Physical abnormalities? (Both visible and not, including injuries/disabilities, long-term illnesses, food-intolerances, etc.)
He's so unfit, it's unreal. Not just in a gets-no-exercise-has-no-stamina way, like, he can't walk around for more than ten minutes?! I don't know. I tend to put that in the 'just for fun' category because it's such a pain to RP. He'd have to be, for example, painfully anaemic or something to be that bad (I know from personal experience). He was once in a wheelchair apparently, but we were never told when or why, so...
15. Biggest and smallest short term goal?
Biggest, and this is a very private goal, GET OUT OF BED BEFORE 11AM FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, OF YOUR OWN ACCORD. Smallest, er. Retune that violin you left lying around saying you were going to do it but didn't.
16. Biggest and smallest long term goal?
Biggest...get used to being effectively single forever (even though he can be, and is, in a relationship, he can't get married, which would make it 'official' in his warped little mind). Smallest, organise the wardrobe! This is long term because he has hundreds of years' worth of stuff in there.
17. Preferred mode of dress and rituals surrounding dress
Naked. No. Foppish Edwardian-Baroque fusion idk what it is. He wears a lot of layers, so putting them all on (and taking them all off) is a small ritual in itself. Little things like tying a necktie and putting cufflinks on make an outfit complete, in his mind. It's like a preparation for what he's about to do, be it something inconsequential or incredibly important.
18. Favorite beverage?
Coffee! Hot chocolate comes close. He has a very strong coffee culture. Speaking alcoholically, he likes white wine better than red, especially in a spritzer, but he can get along with good beer.
19. What do they think about before falling asleep at night?
What he's going to have for breakfast tomorrow. Or a piece of music he hasn't been able to get on paper yet. Or, you know, his partner, should he be with one.
20. Childhood illnesses? Any interesting stories behind them?
See above for this mystery wheelchair. I HAVE NO IDEA, OKAY. People like to have him in it after or during WW1/WW2, but I believe that's inaccurate to canon and unlikely. Some earlier conflict, perhaps.
21. Turn-ons? Turn-offs?
He's a legs and ass man. Mainly, anyway. He likes uniforms, younger men, older women, being submissive, being dominant, spanking and other punishments, light bondage, certain accents, those who are more cheerful, open and easygoing than himself, those who are rougher and less sophisticated than himself, those who can match or best him in a game of wits...on a nerdier note, music. A fine composition can be very sexy to him, though you plebes may not understand it. Turn offs...crudeness. To a point it's a guilty pleasure, but it becomes plain unappealing eventually. Also when roleplay/bondage/etc becomes either too forced or too serious. Stereotypically porny stuff is no good either. And he's a priss about bacteria and what have you.
22. Given a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and nothing to do, what would happen?
Music would happen, of course. Maybe doodles too, like just writing his name or drawing little pictures.
23. How organized are they? How does this organization/disorganization manifest in their everyday life?
Ha. Ha. He's incredibly disorganised. You can tell just by looking around his house. His beautiful library? Not alphabetised. His ornate music room? Where the fuck did he leave those guitar strings. His study? Why are there cookies in the desk drawer?
24. Is there one subject of study that they excel at? Or do they even care about intellectual pursuits at all?
I'm getting repetitive, but music theory, obviously, and psychology. Literature too, I expect.
25. How do they see themselves 5 years from today?
Exactly the same, probably. Five years is a drop in the ocean. A country may fluctuate constantly, but real overnight change is very rare.
26. Do they have any plans for the future? Any contingency plans if things don’t workout?
As a country, besides the usual plans for economic growth and so forth, Austria may plan to try and integrate with the EU a little more and thus be less reliant on trading with Germany (this has already happened, but it's still ongoing). Increasing tourism from nations other than Germany is important economically. Growth has been very good for a while now, with Austria being one of the richest economies worldwide with a high standard of living, and it's also socially quite stable for the time being; the reduction of its reliance on Germany is probably the most likely thing Austria as a character would be thinking of.
27. What is their biggest regret?
This is very hard to answer for a nation, but I would assume both world wars would be pretty high up there. Allowing such things to happen is something that led not only to horrible things happening on his watch but also his own fall from a very prominent position.
28. Who do they see as their best friend? Their worst enemy?
Best friend (inasmuch as he has one): Germ...any. I'm going to say Germany. The canon wants us to think it's Hungary or Switzerland but honestly, Germany is closer to Austria currently. It does have pretty close ties to Switzerland but the whole thing in the strips about Switz founding(?!?) Austria is...nonsensical, unless I'm reading something wrong. Hungary was a major part of the empire back in the day, and relations were varied (and often rather touching, actually) around and after WW2, but currently they're neighbourly and nothing more.
Worst enemy: HAHA, PRUSSIA (kind of) but also France. I mean, rivalry with Prussia died down a lot eventually and he has diplomatic relations with France, but come on, he hates (sort of) them both. Actually, considering Prussia is a relative, France may actually win this round of 'who does Austria have the most distaste for'.
29. Reaction to sudden extrapersonal disaster (eg The house is on fire! What do they do?)
Find Germany, complain until something is done about it.
30. Reaction to sudden intrapersonal disaster (eg close family member suddenly dies)
Find Germany, complain as a coping mechanism. Compose a requiem?! People he knows don't really die. Humans, of course, do. He observes a mourning period but eventually he has to get back up and get on with watching another one die on him.
31. Most prized possession?
His piano. It is his waifu. Among other musical paraphernalia, most of which is very old, probably.
32. Thoughts on material possessions in general?
Hoarder. Can't bear to part with them. Attaches way too much emotional baggage to physical items. Also, why are you throwing that out, you could get so much use out of that still!!!
33. Concept of home and family?
His home is...Vienna. I say Vienna, because Austria as a whole has changed a lot over many years, but Vienna has remained constant. It is quite literally where the heart is. His house- representative of the nation, as nation 'houses' are said to be- is his castle, fortress, retreat, whatever. He's safe and at ease there and he doesn't like to change it or have it intruded upon. Family...is tricky...because it could cover a lot of people. Nations, that is. His family used to be much bigger. These days, it's primarily Germany, Prussia and their brothers, and to an extent Hungary, Italy and certain others. His concept of family has obviously shifted, and was never that solid to begin with, since he's not human.
34. Thoughts on privacy? (Are they a private person, or are they prone to ‘TMI’?)
Very private person, but unfortunately prone to letting things slip. Extremely discreet about certain things, though. Relationships and so forth. Until he marries them in a gigantic ceremony...
35. What activities do they enjoy, but consider to be a waste of time?
Er, soap operas...n-not that he makes a habit of it.
36. What makes them feel guilty?
SEE ABOVE. More overtly, sometimes he feels guilty after getting particularly snappy with someone.
37. Are they more analytical or more emotional in their decision-making?
Quite balanced, though it depends on the decision, of course. One would think he might be more analytical but he's an emotional person, in general. It's quite easy to see from his outbursts when he's annoyed or distressed.
38. Would they consider themselves a Type A or Type B personality?
Type B. Little elements of Type A, but despite that surface similarity to Germany (a classic A) he's notably different.
39. What recharges them when they’re feeling drained?
A glass of wine, some music (either playing or listening), a good meal, sleep...usually by himself. He's often with other people but he's an introvert, in that he recharges by spending time alone. It can also do him good to spend a weekend solely with a lover instead of with, well, the rest of the world.
40. Would you say that they have a superiority-complex? Inferiority-complex? Neither?
Both! He's genuinely arrogant and convinced of his own cultural superiority in a lot of areas. But his personality and the stoic front he has are a little bit of a cover for the uncertainty he felt in childhood. He's not really at ease with himself, especially with his looks; he's quite insecure, despite reassurance. He's only comfortable when things go exactly as he wants them to, so losing his glasses or wearing casual clothes, or doing something he's unused to, or even laughing unreservedly, all make him kind of uncomfortable because he feels exposed in some way.
41. How misanthropic are they?
He likes humans well enough...well, you have to, being a nation. But other nations can mostly just fuck off as far as he's concerned. He likes family more than friends and acquaintances, and he likes partners even more. He's pretty good with social situations and actually could call a lot of people friends, but he wouldn't think of himself as a people-person at all.
42. Hobbies?
WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS A MILLION TIMES...music, cooking, gardening, sewing (fashion?), reading etc etc.
43. How far did they get in formal education? What are their views on formal education vs self-education?
He thinks everyone should go to school and university. He himself, not being human, of course, is mainly self-taught, though he had plenty of what passed for formal education back in the day. He's very book-smart and was extraordinarily curious in his youth, so he learnt much more than was really required of him.
44. Religion?
Catholic, but very lapsed. (I'd say agnostic, but God appears to be canon...) He observes token things like Mass at Christmas but Lent is a no-go. He wears a cross more as a personal talisman than a religious one. And he still says 'grüß Gott', haha.
45. Superstitions or views on the occult?
Largely dismissive of it all, but prone to old superstitions, like a lot of people.
46. Do they express their thoughts through words or deeds?
Deeds I suppose. He has a lovely turn of phrase, but he's better at, say, sending a gift than saying something nice out loud. He tries, of course.
47. If they were to fall in love, who (or what) is their ideal?
He doesn't have a 'type', as such- though, if asked, he would describe the qualities he likes, and they would sound similar to his own...and it would be a lie, pretty much, because he consistently chooses those (almost) totally different to himself. I think he would value loyalty very much if he were being honest, and that is something he attempts to show his partners. But that doesn't necessarily mean fidelity or never contradicting him or anything like that, it mostly means not abandoning him. He also appreciates someone who will dwell on the past with him...or at least tolerate him doing that. Someone who understands him- cliché, but being that he prefers not to discuss his feelings in depth, it's easier on both parties if they can read one another. Thus, he prefers those he already has a long history with. (In his youth, of course, that wasn't a requisite.)
48. How do they express love?
By...proposing...NO, NO. BAD AUSTRIA. No. In glances and touches, straightening of collars and stroking of hair, attentiveness to their details, concessions to their preferences, allowing them to see him without his frills (literal and metaphorical)...if he's writing compositions for you- the most heartwrenchingly, pathetically teenage of things a musician can do, in his humble opinion- you can be assured you are quite special to him.
49. If this person were to get into a fist fight, what is their fighting style like?
AUSTRIA used FLAIL->It's not very effective!->AUSTRIA used SCREAM FOR GERMANY/HUNGARY/ANYONE
50. Is this person afraid of dying? Why or why not?
Nope. In the human sense of dying, he can't. Well, he can, but only temporarily. It can be painful and unpleasant and generally horrible, so he wants to avoid it, but he's not really frightened of it, because he's done it a fair few times. In the more nation-y sense of 'ceasing to exist', that one is scary. He's technically done that once and it didn't actually kill him, but he never wants to risk it again. Even if his personality might dictate that he isn't so very afraid of death, as a nation, he has an instinct to persist.