[OOC] PROFILE MEME
[Character Name] Poland AKA Feliks Łukasiewicz
[Canon] Axis Powers Hetalia
[Point Taken from Canon] August 1939
[Age] 973. Really. Except somehow he's like 19.
[Gender] MALE believe it or not
[Sexual Orientation] Asexual but bi(ish)-romantic. Really depends on you so I guess that's probably pan-romantic hmmmm.
[Eye Color] Green
[Hair Color] Blond
[Height] 5'7"ish idefk
[Other] He kind of looks like a girl.
[Clothing] don't like green? whatever girlfriend! seriously, WHATEVERRRR!
[Background] Let me show you my tl;dr...
Unless specified otherwise by canon, it's strongly implied that the history of the nations in Hetalia closely resembles real world history. As such, the entirety of Poland's history could fit here. For my own sanity, though, I'll give a brief overview of real world Polish history but then concentrate more on the events elaborated by canon.
In 966 Mieszko I adopted Christianity, and that's when the establishment of Poland as a state is said to have occurred. As a kingdom it was established in 1025, and during the 14th century the Kingdom of Poland hired the Teutonic Knights to seize Danzig (called Gdańsk in Polish and has enjoyed being ruled by either Germany or Poland throughout history) from the Margraviate of Brandenburg after a minor rebellion against forces loyal to the Polish kingdom. However after the deed was done, the Polish king refused to compensate the Order of the Teutonic Knights, and as such tensions and conflict between the Order and Poland grew - escalating to the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War that was fought between 1409 and 1411.
In 1410 after hundreds of years of almost military crusading, the strength of the Teutonic Knights was broken by a Polish-Lithuanian army in the Battle of Grunwald (Tannenburg), which is considered one of the most important battles of both medieval and Polish history. Both history and Hetalia imply that the win was primarily due to Lithuania, and the series displays its own take on the battle...Narration: Their opponent was experienced and well-equipped, and gave them a run for their money. Even though they did well at first, eventually they were pursued so badly it got torturous. And then suddenly Lithuania ran off in the middle.
Prussia (cornering Poland): Hahaha, your friend ran off on you. Too bad my people are after him. Now drop your sword and I'll send you to him.
Poland (injured): God, you're like a total big-mouth! I can handle this myself...
Prussia: I SAID DROP YOUR SWORD! DROP IT, SWINE!
Poland: Got it...
Prussia: Haha, what's this? I didn't think you'd be this smart.
...And then Lithuania returns to win the battle after leading the Order's pursuing troops astray. Historically what happened is a little confusing in text, but diagrams of the starting position, Lithuanian retreat, Polish/Lithuanian assault, and then the Polish cavalry breakthrough courtesy of Wikipedia make it a bit easier to understand.
In 1569 the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was formed by the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In Hetalia, despite real world political tensions between Poland and Lithuania, this seems to be why Poland and Lithuania are BFFs. However, it collapsed in 1795 for a variety of real world reasons. In canon, Lithuania describes their union and collapse in a strip that has him sleeping in bed with America shortly before the Great Depression:Lithuania: When I was a child, I used to sleep with Poland, too. He always hogged the blankets so we ended up sleeping separately...
America: Oh, your former partner... Speaking of which, why did you guys separate? You were a huge nation, weren't you?
Lithuania: Well, we were partitioned by Russia-san... We used to be a farming state and became big that way, but we weren't that strong in wars. As much as we resisted, in the end we just ended up getting hurt...
Canon's take on the separation is Russia taking a teary and panicky Lithuania because he 'looked smart' and Poland nonchalantly letting it happen while commenting that Liet's face was "so funny right now."
It's not explicitly stated in Hetalia who took Poland, but if Russia separated the two by taking Lithuania, then it would have been either Prussia or Austria who took the other. The comic hints that it was Austria since North Italy is seen having been Austria's maid as well as knowing Poland from the time when neither of the two countries were independent. In wasn't until 1918 after the first World War, though, that Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic. Although only lasting for twenty-one years, this was a time of growth for Poland in both economy and confidence despite war damage and regional strife. However, it was not a time of peace. No, the Polish-Soviet War began in 1919 as a border dispute and ended in a 1921 peace treaty - and the division of Belarus and Ukraine amongst the two. Many at the time thought Poland would perish and become one with Russia, but Poland proved that it wouldn't be the case, that Poland would survive and thrive in its second republic. Unfortunately Poland's emphasis on pride in being Polish ended up alienating many of its minorities.
In addition to a war with Russia, Poland was simultaneously engaged in one with Lithuania. The Polish-Lithuanian War is considered part of Lithuania's fight for independence and also began in 1919, yet it officially only lasted for a little over a year. From 1920 to 1938, diplomatic relations between Poland Lithuania were next to nothing. In spring of 1938, Poland demanded that Lithuania establish relations with them again including the "reclamation" of Vilnius or else there would be war (Poland also did this to the Czech government); preferring to keep the peace, Lithuania agreed...but not to giving up Vilnius. The Soviet government backed Lithuania's claims to Vilnius, and there was a threat of violating a non-aggression pact formed in 1932. However, the Soviet Union worried about fighting a war on both fronts - with Japan and then Poland - and pleaded with France (a major Polish ally at the time) to normalize the relationship between Lithuania and Poland. And the UK and France did just that, pressuring Lithuania out of fear that Nazi Germany would take advantage of the tensions. Pressured from all sides, including the Baltics, Lithuania approved the ultimatum, but it only contributed to European tension. When Nazi Germany invaded in September of 1939, Poland expected Lithuania's support (as well as France's) yet received nothing but neutrality. It was better than Lithuania joining in the fight against Poland, though, as there were repeated offers from Nazi Germany to help Lithuania recapture Vilnius; instead Lithuania passively received Polish refuges.
1918-1938 sounds like a fun, if dramatic, topic for strips in Hetalia, but canon doesn't quite go the route of following real life history for this. Perhaps to preserve Poland and Lithuania's friendship, Lithuania is depicted as staying with America from 1918 to 1929 - effectively missing the Polish-Lithuanian War - and in 1939, Lithuania is also depicted as working for Russia. Vilnius? Schmilnuis! It doesn't seem to be much of an issue from what we see of their relationship in Hetalia during that time. In fact, the pre-invasion strips seem to have Poland and Lithuania's relationship as being on the good side with Lithuania calling to warn Poland of a possible Soviet invasion after hearing of Russia's plans to turn half of Poland into a nice summer home.
Unfortunately Poland doesn't take any of this seriously, and it's primarily one gigantic joke on him. When warned of Russia's plans, Poland exclaims that it sucks, and Russia's crazy, but oh hey Polish snacks are the bomb and make him feel better. In another strip he insists that he totally has it covered and wonders if he put a propeller on his house would it fly like a plane? Into Lithuania? Meanwhile, France and England also implore for Poland to take the situation seriously - but again Poland refuses, instead wanting to talk about painting his house. But don't mistake, Poland did make moves on his own!
...These moves consist of sending Russia a letter of misfortune (stating that unless he copies and sends the letter to his friends then Warsaw will be his new capital) and buying ponies instead of tanks because ponies are so cute, by the way.
Is it any wonder that the 1939 strips end with France and England leaving Poland to his own devices?
[Personality] You like that tl;dr? No? Well here's more anyway...
To quote the personality portion of Poland's canon profile...
Is surprisingly shy, and is troublesome to get to know him.
But once you're used to him, and he's used to you, it's even more troublesome.
Is often used by other countries, mostly because he doesn't think before he acts.
It's shown frequently in the series that Poland is shy and has difficulty talking to people/nations he doesn't know. While he briefly stands up to Sweden when the nation confronts Poland about wanting Estonia and Latvia, Poland initially refuses, saying that Sweden's crazy and that he's totally not down with that! Why? Well, just because okay? Giving Estonia and Latvia to Sweden just doesn't fall under Poland's rule (explained later). However, this brief burst of confidence quickly loses steam and Poland in the end resorts to using his BFF Lithuania as both a physical and emotional shield to hide behind. While not necessarily an issue with countries he interacts with most and forms partnerships with, Poland's shyness is a notable trait of his (as mentioned above) - and it's in a more modern strip that it comes up, showing that Poland isn't such a shut in and does enjoy other countries' companies besides Lithuania's (Poland is frequently seen with Lithuania or mentioning Lithuania, so evidence of a social life outside of Lithuania is important). When Poland enthusiastically greets North Italy when out and about with his BFF, Lithuania comments that the interaction is odd because Poland is normally so shy. But it turns out that North Italy is a friend from when Poland was partitioned, presumably living under Austria. The point of the strip is later shown that while Poland and Lithuania are commonly together, they can and do exist separately without sharing all the details of their lives with one another.
This is important to realize that while the two nations frequently come as a pair on Poland's end, they are two very separate people. However, to talk about one is to still talk about the other because it's around Lithuania, the nation who probably knows him best and the one that Poland's most comfortable with, that we really see Poland's true personality.
Poland and Lithuania (affectionately nicknamed Liet) became friends during Jadwiga of Poland's reign from 1374 to 1399 and even established a partnership that began in 1385 when Jadwiga married Lithuania's Grand Duke Jogaila and ran until 1569. In that year, the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania formed a formal union between their two countries, and so the friendly partnership the two had turned into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. While the union was technically equal, Poland acted as the dominant force, which reflects in APH how Lithuania and Poland act as best friends, yet Poland bosses and leads Liet around. This can be seen in a strip where he forces victory for himself while playing against Liet in chess. Poland practically steamrolls Lithuania after being cornered and utterly bypasses the rules of chess in order to ensure a win - by never letting Liet have his turn. Poland's rule is put into operation. It's not a real rule obviously, but it's a self-designed way for him to never lose, at least not in his own mind. Consideration for others doesn't really seem to be a concern for Poland sometimes. ...Okay, most times. Despite the abuse, while the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was broken up in 1795 by Prussia, Austria, and Russia, Lithuania and Poland still remain, as TV Tropes puts it, "heterosexual life partners;" as such, his partnership with Lithuania is an important aspect of Poland as noted elsewhere, which is why the subject of Lithuania comes up so frequently. However, as evidenced in the strip mentioned above with North Italy, Poland can and does exist on his own.
Poland is often depicted as self-involved and carefree even though he has many responsibilities; it appears he just chooses to ignore them. However, Poland does have some work ethic in theory, though in practice he seems to laze a bit when it comes to things he doesn't want to do. He just has a different, if misplaced, sense of concern. Mainly, Poland doesn't take certain things seriously, even when he really, really should. The unfortunate case in point being WWII...
Lithuania, upon overhearing Russia discussing with his adviser plans to invade Poland, calls Poland to warn him of said invasion. At first, Poland complains that it's too early for calls like that, how Russia was crazy and that totally sucked because he so was planning on repainting his house toilet, and then he entirely dismisses Lithuania's concerns by wanting to talk about what he like totally just did. Despite all the warnings, Poland's totally unconcerned because he completely beat up Germany that one time, right? When Lithuania calls again, Poland entertains the notion of putting an engine on his house and seeing if it would fly like a plane -- and that he would totally fly it into Liet's house KAPOW! And then he sends a chain letter to Russia saying that if he doesn't copy and send the letter to three people, then Warsaw will become his capital.
It's important to realize how Poland and Lithuania are bound to each other when trying to understand Poland. Lithuania shared a lot of Poland's hardships in history, having much on his own at the hands of Russia, and developed into a severe worry-wort who frantically concerned himself over Poland's potential fate; Poland went the other way and developed a devil-may-care attitude when faced with strife, choosing to not take the looming invasion seriously. One concentrates too deeply on negativity and the potential for trouble while the other eschews the possibility entirely. Neither are good coping strategies, but they are what make the individual characters. Poland and Lithuania are great foils.
From what we see in the series, Poland is definitely rather silly, air-headed, relies on past victories rather than honestly preparing for the present, and in general is just not serious despite being taken over and partitioned several times. He relies on being a phoenix, overconfident that no matter what happens, he'll still be there and still be okay.
...Mainly being lighthearted, Axis Powers Hetalia doesn't really go into what happened to Poland in WWII for obvious reasons: Poland lost 16% of its population in 1939, which is the most out of any country, and in April of 1940, the Soviet Union systematically mass murdered an estimated 22,000 of Polish POWs in the Katyn Forest massacre. Worse yet, when the Soviet Union took control of Poland after the war, their involvement in Katyn was a taboo subject (as well as the initial invasion) and when it was discussed in history, everything was blamed on Nazi Germany. It wasn't really until the USSR started to fall that the truth about the Katyn Forest massacre, along with other NKVD atrocities, started to come out.
It's difficult to incorporate such horrific events into a silly series like APH, but it's part of history, which the series is about - and hell, it's even set in WWII, one of the deadliest wars in human history. While the point in canon I take Poland from is before any of these atrocities occur (which is exactly why I take him from that point because that stuff makes me cry :'[), it's still important to realize when considering the history of the nation as a whole.
Unlike the nation of Prussia, the Republic of Poland is still around, alive and well, despite everything that's happened to it. Truly Poland is the mythological phoenix as far as nations go; there's a sort of quiet yet incredible strength involved in having such resilience time and time again no matter what, surviving even after devastating loss. And being the representative of his nation in APH, while Poland is flighty, superficial, domineering yet shy, and not at all serious, he still has the strength of a survivor.
[Specialties/Abilities] Poland is the country of...Indonesia Poland. He looks human, but he's not quite there. For starters he's over 9000 years old.
[Affection] You're probably scary at first meeting, so don't expect anything until he knows you.
[Fighting] Do you have a military? Really?
[Other Permissions] FOR THE TELEPATHIC: Lithuania ("Liet~!"), pink, ponies, various things that are the best things ever, painting random shit in his house, what you're wearing.
FOR THE FOURTH-WALLERS: Do whatever man.
[Other Facts] Poland is more religious than most - Catholic actually. He also speaks like a Valley Girl/Nagoya high school girl and has been known to crossdress or at least add traditionally feminine accessories to his attire.
And no, none of this shows any sign of conflict in canon.
[Canon] Axis Powers Hetalia
[Point Taken from Canon] August 1939
[Age] 973. Really. Except somehow he's like 19.
[Gender] MALE believe it or not
[Sexual Orientation] Asexual but bi(ish)-romantic. Really depends on you so I guess that's probably pan-romantic hmmmm.
[Eye Color] Green
[Hair Color] Blond
[Height] 5'7"ish idefk
[Other] He kind of looks like a girl.
[Clothing] don't like green? whatever girlfriend! seriously, WHATEVERRRR!
[Background] Let me show you my tl;dr...
Unless specified otherwise by canon, it's strongly implied that the history of the nations in Hetalia closely resembles real world history. As such, the entirety of Poland's history could fit here. For my own sanity, though, I'll give a brief overview of real world Polish history but then concentrate more on the events elaborated by canon.
In 966 Mieszko I adopted Christianity, and that's when the establishment of Poland as a state is said to have occurred. As a kingdom it was established in 1025, and during the 14th century the Kingdom of Poland hired the Teutonic Knights to seize Danzig (called Gdańsk in Polish and has enjoyed being ruled by either Germany or Poland throughout history) from the Margraviate of Brandenburg after a minor rebellion against forces loyal to the Polish kingdom. However after the deed was done, the Polish king refused to compensate the Order of the Teutonic Knights, and as such tensions and conflict between the Order and Poland grew - escalating to the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War that was fought between 1409 and 1411.
In 1410 after hundreds of years of almost military crusading, the strength of the Teutonic Knights was broken by a Polish-Lithuanian army in the Battle of Grunwald (Tannenburg), which is considered one of the most important battles of both medieval and Polish history. Both history and Hetalia imply that the win was primarily due to Lithuania, and the series displays its own take on the battle...Narration: Their opponent was experienced and well-equipped, and gave them a run for their money. Even though they did well at first, eventually they were pursued so badly it got torturous. And then suddenly Lithuania ran off in the middle.
Prussia (cornering Poland): Hahaha, your friend ran off on you. Too bad my people are after him. Now drop your sword and I'll send you to him.
Poland (injured): God, you're like a total big-mouth! I can handle this myself...
Prussia: I SAID DROP YOUR SWORD! DROP IT, SWINE!
Poland: Got it...
Prussia: Haha, what's this? I didn't think you'd be this smart.
...And then Lithuania returns to win the battle after leading the Order's pursuing troops astray. Historically what happened is a little confusing in text, but diagrams of the starting position, Lithuanian retreat, Polish/Lithuanian assault, and then the Polish cavalry breakthrough courtesy of Wikipedia make it a bit easier to understand.
In 1569 the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was formed by the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In Hetalia, despite real world political tensions between Poland and Lithuania, this seems to be why Poland and Lithuania are BFFs. However, it collapsed in 1795 for a variety of real world reasons. In canon, Lithuania describes their union and collapse in a strip that has him sleeping in bed with America shortly before the Great Depression:Lithuania: When I was a child, I used to sleep with Poland, too. He always hogged the blankets so we ended up sleeping separately...
America: Oh, your former partner... Speaking of which, why did you guys separate? You were a huge nation, weren't you?
Lithuania: Well, we were partitioned by Russia-san... We used to be a farming state and became big that way, but we weren't that strong in wars. As much as we resisted, in the end we just ended up getting hurt...
Canon's take on the separation is Russia taking a teary and panicky Lithuania because he 'looked smart' and Poland nonchalantly letting it happen while commenting that Liet's face was "so funny right now."
It's not explicitly stated in Hetalia who took Poland, but if Russia separated the two by taking Lithuania, then it would have been either Prussia or Austria who took the other. The comic hints that it was Austria since North Italy is seen having been Austria's maid as well as knowing Poland from the time when neither of the two countries were independent. In wasn't until 1918 after the first World War, though, that Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic. Although only lasting for twenty-one years, this was a time of growth for Poland in both economy and confidence despite war damage and regional strife. However, it was not a time of peace. No, the Polish-Soviet War began in 1919 as a border dispute and ended in a 1921 peace treaty - and the division of Belarus and Ukraine amongst the two. Many at the time thought Poland would perish and become one with Russia, but Poland proved that it wouldn't be the case, that Poland would survive and thrive in its second republic. Unfortunately Poland's emphasis on pride in being Polish ended up alienating many of its minorities.
In addition to a war with Russia, Poland was simultaneously engaged in one with Lithuania. The Polish-Lithuanian War is considered part of Lithuania's fight for independence and also began in 1919, yet it officially only lasted for a little over a year. From 1920 to 1938, diplomatic relations between Poland Lithuania were next to nothing. In spring of 1938, Poland demanded that Lithuania establish relations with them again including the "reclamation" of Vilnius or else there would be war (Poland also did this to the Czech government); preferring to keep the peace, Lithuania agreed...but not to giving up Vilnius. The Soviet government backed Lithuania's claims to Vilnius, and there was a threat of violating a non-aggression pact formed in 1932. However, the Soviet Union worried about fighting a war on both fronts - with Japan and then Poland - and pleaded with France (a major Polish ally at the time) to normalize the relationship between Lithuania and Poland. And the UK and France did just that, pressuring Lithuania out of fear that Nazi Germany would take advantage of the tensions. Pressured from all sides, including the Baltics, Lithuania approved the ultimatum, but it only contributed to European tension. When Nazi Germany invaded in September of 1939, Poland expected Lithuania's support (as well as France's) yet received nothing but neutrality. It was better than Lithuania joining in the fight against Poland, though, as there were repeated offers from Nazi Germany to help Lithuania recapture Vilnius; instead Lithuania passively received Polish refuges.
1918-1938 sounds like a fun, if dramatic, topic for strips in Hetalia, but canon doesn't quite go the route of following real life history for this. Perhaps to preserve Poland and Lithuania's friendship, Lithuania is depicted as staying with America from 1918 to 1929 - effectively missing the Polish-Lithuanian War - and in 1939, Lithuania is also depicted as working for Russia. Vilnius? Schmilnuis! It doesn't seem to be much of an issue from what we see of their relationship in Hetalia during that time. In fact, the pre-invasion strips seem to have Poland and Lithuania's relationship as being on the good side with Lithuania calling to warn Poland of a possible Soviet invasion after hearing of Russia's plans to turn half of Poland into a nice summer home.
Unfortunately Poland doesn't take any of this seriously, and it's primarily one gigantic joke on him. When warned of Russia's plans, Poland exclaims that it sucks, and Russia's crazy, but oh hey Polish snacks are the bomb and make him feel better. In another strip he insists that he totally has it covered and wonders if he put a propeller on his house would it fly like a plane? Into Lithuania? Meanwhile, France and England also implore for Poland to take the situation seriously - but again Poland refuses, instead wanting to talk about painting his house. But don't mistake, Poland did make moves on his own!
...These moves consist of sending Russia a letter of misfortune (stating that unless he copies and sends the letter to his friends then Warsaw will be his new capital) and buying ponies instead of tanks because ponies are so cute, by the way.
Is it any wonder that the 1939 strips end with France and England leaving Poland to his own devices?
[Personality] You like that tl;dr? No? Well here's more anyway...
To quote the personality portion of Poland's canon profile...
Is surprisingly shy, and is troublesome to get to know him.
But once you're used to him, and he's used to you, it's even more troublesome.
Is often used by other countries, mostly because he doesn't think before he acts.
It's shown frequently in the series that Poland is shy and has difficulty talking to people/nations he doesn't know. While he briefly stands up to Sweden when the nation confronts Poland about wanting Estonia and Latvia, Poland initially refuses, saying that Sweden's crazy and that he's totally not down with that! Why? Well, just because okay? Giving Estonia and Latvia to Sweden just doesn't fall under Poland's rule (explained later). However, this brief burst of confidence quickly loses steam and Poland in the end resorts to using his BFF Lithuania as both a physical and emotional shield to hide behind. While not necessarily an issue with countries he interacts with most and forms partnerships with, Poland's shyness is a notable trait of his (as mentioned above) - and it's in a more modern strip that it comes up, showing that Poland isn't such a shut in and does enjoy other countries' companies besides Lithuania's (Poland is frequently seen with Lithuania or mentioning Lithuania, so evidence of a social life outside of Lithuania is important). When Poland enthusiastically greets North Italy when out and about with his BFF, Lithuania comments that the interaction is odd because Poland is normally so shy. But it turns out that North Italy is a friend from when Poland was partitioned, presumably living under Austria. The point of the strip is later shown that while Poland and Lithuania are commonly together, they can and do exist separately without sharing all the details of their lives with one another.
This is important to realize that while the two nations frequently come as a pair on Poland's end, they are two very separate people. However, to talk about one is to still talk about the other because it's around Lithuania, the nation who probably knows him best and the one that Poland's most comfortable with, that we really see Poland's true personality.
Poland and Lithuania (affectionately nicknamed Liet) became friends during Jadwiga of Poland's reign from 1374 to 1399 and even established a partnership that began in 1385 when Jadwiga married Lithuania's Grand Duke Jogaila and ran until 1569. In that year, the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania formed a formal union between their two countries, and so the friendly partnership the two had turned into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. While the union was technically equal, Poland acted as the dominant force, which reflects in APH how Lithuania and Poland act as best friends, yet Poland bosses and leads Liet around. This can be seen in a strip where he forces victory for himself while playing against Liet in chess. Poland practically steamrolls Lithuania after being cornered and utterly bypasses the rules of chess in order to ensure a win - by never letting Liet have his turn. Poland's rule is put into operation. It's not a real rule obviously, but it's a self-designed way for him to never lose, at least not in his own mind. Consideration for others doesn't really seem to be a concern for Poland sometimes. ...Okay, most times. Despite the abuse, while the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was broken up in 1795 by Prussia, Austria, and Russia, Lithuania and Poland still remain, as TV Tropes puts it, "heterosexual life partners;" as such, his partnership with Lithuania is an important aspect of Poland as noted elsewhere, which is why the subject of Lithuania comes up so frequently. However, as evidenced in the strip mentioned above with North Italy, Poland can and does exist on his own.
Poland is often depicted as self-involved and carefree even though he has many responsibilities; it appears he just chooses to ignore them. However, Poland does have some work ethic in theory, though in practice he seems to laze a bit when it comes to things he doesn't want to do. He just has a different, if misplaced, sense of concern. Mainly, Poland doesn't take certain things seriously, even when he really, really should. The unfortunate case in point being WWII...
Lithuania, upon overhearing Russia discussing with his adviser plans to invade Poland, calls Poland to warn him of said invasion. At first, Poland complains that it's too early for calls like that, how Russia was crazy and that totally sucked because he so was planning on repainting his house toilet, and then he entirely dismisses Lithuania's concerns by wanting to talk about what he like totally just did. Despite all the warnings, Poland's totally unconcerned because he completely beat up Germany that one time, right? When Lithuania calls again, Poland entertains the notion of putting an engine on his house and seeing if it would fly like a plane -- and that he would totally fly it into Liet's house KAPOW! And then he sends a chain letter to Russia saying that if he doesn't copy and send the letter to three people, then Warsaw will become his capital.
It's important to realize how Poland and Lithuania are bound to each other when trying to understand Poland. Lithuania shared a lot of Poland's hardships in history, having much on his own at the hands of Russia, and developed into a severe worry-wort who frantically concerned himself over Poland's potential fate; Poland went the other way and developed a devil-may-care attitude when faced with strife, choosing to not take the looming invasion seriously. One concentrates too deeply on negativity and the potential for trouble while the other eschews the possibility entirely. Neither are good coping strategies, but they are what make the individual characters. Poland and Lithuania are great foils.
From what we see in the series, Poland is definitely rather silly, air-headed, relies on past victories rather than honestly preparing for the present, and in general is just not serious despite being taken over and partitioned several times. He relies on being a phoenix, overconfident that no matter what happens, he'll still be there and still be okay.
...Mainly being lighthearted, Axis Powers Hetalia doesn't really go into what happened to Poland in WWII for obvious reasons: Poland lost 16% of its population in 1939, which is the most out of any country, and in April of 1940, the Soviet Union systematically mass murdered an estimated 22,000 of Polish POWs in the Katyn Forest massacre. Worse yet, when the Soviet Union took control of Poland after the war, their involvement in Katyn was a taboo subject (as well as the initial invasion) and when it was discussed in history, everything was blamed on Nazi Germany. It wasn't really until the USSR started to fall that the truth about the Katyn Forest massacre, along with other NKVD atrocities, started to come out.
It's difficult to incorporate such horrific events into a silly series like APH, but it's part of history, which the series is about - and hell, it's even set in WWII, one of the deadliest wars in human history. While the point in canon I take Poland from is before any of these atrocities occur (which is exactly why I take him from that point because that stuff makes me cry :'[), it's still important to realize when considering the history of the nation as a whole.
Unlike the nation of Prussia, the Republic of Poland is still around, alive and well, despite everything that's happened to it. Truly Poland is the mythological phoenix as far as nations go; there's a sort of quiet yet incredible strength involved in having such resilience time and time again no matter what, surviving even after devastating loss. And being the representative of his nation in APH, while Poland is flighty, superficial, domineering yet shy, and not at all serious, he still has the strength of a survivor.
[Specialties/Abilities] Poland is the country of...Indonesia Poland. He looks human, but he's not quite there. For starters he's over 9000 years old.
[Affection] You're probably scary at first meeting, so don't expect anything until he knows you.
[Fighting] Do you have a military? Really?
[Other Permissions] FOR THE TELEPATHIC: Lithuania ("Liet~!"), pink, ponies, various things that are the best things ever, painting random shit in his house, what you're wearing.
FOR THE FOURTH-WALLERS: Do whatever man.
[Other Facts] Poland is more religious than most - Catholic actually. He also speaks like a Valley Girl/Nagoya high school girl and has been known to crossdress or at least add traditionally feminine accessories to his attire.
And no, none of this shows any sign of conflict in canon.