(no subject)
Player Information
Name: Ashley
Personal Journal: japwn
Contact Info: AIM: autumnhope09
Other Characters: N/A
Character Information
Name: Japan (Honda, Sakura) (Her human name is largely used in fandom and was recognized by Himaruya as a name he was considering, but it is not official)
Source Canon: Axis Powers Hetalia: Nyotalia
Age: Over 2000 years old, but she appears about 18 physically, seeming younger than her peers when in fact she is most often quite older.
Role In Canon: Canon AU. In Hetalia, Japan is one of the main characters, since it centers around the Axis Powers in WWII. Female Japan would essentially have the same role, though I am taking her from modern day (February 2011), which removes that sort of focus of war.
History: Wiki page.
Because Nyotalia is a canon AU with Japan being a female, her roles in various historical moments had to have been different. For example, before the Meiji period, she had very long hair. This is mentioned by Himaruya in a note to a fan, where he says that she most likely cut her hair when opening the country, in order to show she was willing to make friends with the others. Not only that, but during war time she would have had a separate role to play, as well. For example, in WWII, women worked in factories and replaced men in that way. The "ideal woman" or "Yamato Nadeshiko," which is what Japan is described as, would have been extremely focused on the home, the country, and defending these things and herself even to the death. Even Japanese women were expected to fight, however, and so she is surely skilled with weapons like the naginata and tae yari.
War has shaped Japan as a country since the very beginning, altering both what the country stands for and what goals Japan has as a character. Once again, the end of seclusion is where Japan's entry into the world truly occurs. Even this is a large leap for her as a character; I mentioned before that cutting her hair signified that. However, as a country grows and begins to interact with other countries, the desire to better oneself naturally comes through-- and that's exactly what happened with Japan. As she began to learn more about the world, she wished to expand further, and imperialism answered this. While her quiet nature still held through, the reclusive respect to it lessened greatly and was replaced by a certain curiosity.
As both a country and a person, Japan was curious about other countries; she wished to know what it took to become powerful in the world. Watching the others also led to her mimicing their habits and attempting to find herself. Eventually, that strength and spirited, youthful nature began to strengthen underneath the meek expression. After all, while she did wish to maintain manners, she now had a goal: more power in the world. More than that, she wished to be recognized, and no one showed any signs of recognizing a meek island nation such as herself. She needed to gain a voice-- that voice, so to speak, was military power. America was actually the one to help her in this area. Japan found America to be a youthful yet powerful nation, and so naturally followed her teaching.
As war eventually broke out, Japan fell in place with the newly western military-- mostly as first aid. She believed that in order to help her country, she could start by helping her people. There's actually a canon sketch of her helping male!Italy from a crossover strip that helps show this caring side to her. Combat isn't something she particularly likes in the case of war. She does enjoy knowing it and sparring (that sort of energetic practice sort of thing!), but actual combat is something she as a person would rather avoid. So rather than combat on the battle front, Japan preferred to stick to first aid and leave battle as a defensive movement-- that is, until pearl harbor, which was a case of both the emotional building up mentioned in the personality section and the determined stubbornness mentioned earlier here. However, the modern day Japan no longer works on war. She looks back and views many of her moves as reckless and wishes to repent for them.
Over all, war has truly changed both the history of the country and the personality of the character of Japan. She sticks to first aid, reflecting her meek outer personality, but can easily pull a weapon on an enemy if she finds them threatening, showing the stronger part of her personality. While she used to be reclusive and avoiding towards the world, she slowly gained the goals of both understanding other countries, and making a name for her own. She's both a small island nation and a small girl, but she has a strong spirit and big ideas for the earth, so she does her best to show this through whatever means is necessary in the moment-- be it war, subtle words, or a pointed look. Though she no longer has a military, she has taken these ideas with her and looks to change the world through creation (technology, art, economic sort of things) rather than destruction.
If you'd like any more examples of history of headcanon, feel free to ask!
Personality:
As a mostly "Yamato Nadeshiko" type, Japan is shy, quiet, loyal, wise, and humble. Well, at least that's how she wishes to portray herself-- and she does it quite well for the most part. As you can see in her various appearances, she's drawn with an obviously shy expression, befitting this character type. This is an immediate difference from her male counterpart who constantly wears a stoic expression. Her revealing of this emotion in canon art shows that she is overall more expressive. Also, while she does act the role of the perfect housewife, she is focused more on the youthful side rather than the old. This doesn't mean she lacks tradition; in fact, it's quite the opposite. As a Japanese woman, she believes she's expected to present herself in a certain way-- and she does! Traditions are held very dear to her, and she often gets very emotional over them. If you ask her about any of the festivals or holidays or any history of her country, her face will change to a rather fond expression and she'll speak of it almost like poetry. (Which... may lead to her being disappointed afterwards by the reactions of others such as, say, America or England.) Still, she'll cover any disappointment with a polite smile and nod it off.
However, not all of her emotions are kept locked away so well. Certain traits (such as her stubbornness) can reveal themselves at conflicting times, showing that her usually-meek appearance is not always a fair representation of her. Also, she can easily grow excited over things like holidays, sales, art, and romance. Though she struggles to maintain her quiet and shy image, she often finds it hard to hold back the occasional emotional exclamation or outburst in joy, surprise, or admiration. She'll quickly cover it, however, dusting herself off and mumbling apologies about her fault. Another example of this hidden emotion can show up in the way of anger. As a polite woman, she doesn't believe that showing anger is the right thing to do. It does, though, slide through-- passive aggressively and other ways, as well. Nagging from China could gain a reaction anywhere from making the tea a little worse than usual to bumping into her as they pass, or even muttering some things under her breath. Extreme cases may even show Japan's true anger with a slap or a shove! The extremity of the action all depends on who she's speaking with.
This is because she is very focused on her relationships with others. She pays very close attention to her interactions with others, establishing a very detailed rating chart in her mind. (Think of it almost like a dating sim! She pays very detailed attention to each thing you say!) She is often drawn with England, showing that the two seem to be very close friends. It also mentions that she has "complicated feelings" for America, which surely represent the complicated backgrounds of the two countries' interactions. Japan is the type to hold a grudge if she believes she is wronged, though if she finds herself guilty, she instantly works to repay. Even so many years after WWII, Japan as a country has shown to be harder on itself than America as a country, and the character holds the same. Along with relationships meaning a lot to her, she can "read the atmosphere"-- according to her, this is a shared trait of all Japanese people. The ability to understand a situation and determine whether or not to speak-- that's what she expects of all Japanese. Anyone not meeting her expectations will probably gain a slightly bothered glance, or even a hidden reaction of despair as she turns her head the other way.
Expanding on the idea of relationships, romantic thoughts are one of the things that can trigger more emotional or passionate responses from Japan. She's very much a believer in "story book" romance, so to speak. Considering all of the manga her country produces, she has her ideas very set in stone. She often states that she can't see herself in a relationship like this because she is a country and she's not interested, but that's very much a lie; it's actually a secret dream of hers to partake in such things. Instead, however, she draws and writes and creates things as an outlet. ...You could say her stash of R18+ manga is rather large-- even larger than her male counterpart's erotic woodblock collection.
Basically, Japan is a balance of all things old and new. She maintains tradition while keeping up with new influences, keeps a young spirit though she is quite old, and stays loyally with her country and morals while learning when she has made mistakes and learning from them. She does her best to stay subtle, but sometimes her passion can get in the way, and she's stubborn to the last hit. Loyal to her country, she does her best to represent it, excusing any slip ups as "influence from Westerners" as if it's a totally understandable sort of thing. She's Japan, the country where the sun rises, and she won't let you forget that, despite her initial shy and meek presentation of herself.
Abilities:
As a country, Japan feels the effects of war, economy, and her people. More importantly, though, is the fact that she's stronger than the average human. Countries aren't exactly immortals, but they definitely have long lifespans, and though they don't appear it, their bodies manage to hold them over time. Japan is a little stronger than the average human, but in terms of nations, she's nothing special. If she had to list any "abilities" of hers, it would be the earlier mentioned skill of reading the atmosphere, and probably a very strong connection with technology and adapting.
Sample:
[Vine ; Video]
[Japan can be seen gathering her neatly folded clothes to her chest, shuffling with them nervously before she speaks.]
Ah, I believe-- um, these cats are quite kind. How are they trained? This seems... [she pauses thoughtfully, glancing down at herself. there's some faint blushing, but she moves on with her speaking.]
It's almost as if I'm in a rather main role! What a surprising thing to be thrown into so suddenly. [she says this with the slightest bit of energy, but quickly backs down with an attempt at a stern voice.]
This is not a dream, is it? Is anyone there? America-san, please warn me if you are going to have me in a movie! ...A simple warning was all I needed.
Name: Ashley
Personal Journal: japwn
Contact Info: AIM: autumnhope09
Other Characters: N/A
Character Information
Name: Japan (Honda, Sakura) (Her human name is largely used in fandom and was recognized by Himaruya as a name he was considering, but it is not official)
Source Canon: Axis Powers Hetalia: Nyotalia
Age: Over 2000 years old, but she appears about 18 physically, seeming younger than her peers when in fact she is most often quite older.
Role In Canon: Canon AU. In Hetalia, Japan is one of the main characters, since it centers around the Axis Powers in WWII. Female Japan would essentially have the same role, though I am taking her from modern day (February 2011), which removes that sort of focus of war.
History: Wiki page.
Because Nyotalia is a canon AU with Japan being a female, her roles in various historical moments had to have been different. For example, before the Meiji period, she had very long hair. This is mentioned by Himaruya in a note to a fan, where he says that she most likely cut her hair when opening the country, in order to show she was willing to make friends with the others. Not only that, but during war time she would have had a separate role to play, as well. For example, in WWII, women worked in factories and replaced men in that way. The "ideal woman" or "Yamato Nadeshiko," which is what Japan is described as, would have been extremely focused on the home, the country, and defending these things and herself even to the death. Even Japanese women were expected to fight, however, and so she is surely skilled with weapons like the naginata and tae yari.
War has shaped Japan as a country since the very beginning, altering both what the country stands for and what goals Japan has as a character. Once again, the end of seclusion is where Japan's entry into the world truly occurs. Even this is a large leap for her as a character; I mentioned before that cutting her hair signified that. However, as a country grows and begins to interact with other countries, the desire to better oneself naturally comes through-- and that's exactly what happened with Japan. As she began to learn more about the world, she wished to expand further, and imperialism answered this. While her quiet nature still held through, the reclusive respect to it lessened greatly and was replaced by a certain curiosity.
As both a country and a person, Japan was curious about other countries; she wished to know what it took to become powerful in the world. Watching the others also led to her mimicing their habits and attempting to find herself. Eventually, that strength and spirited, youthful nature began to strengthen underneath the meek expression. After all, while she did wish to maintain manners, she now had a goal: more power in the world. More than that, she wished to be recognized, and no one showed any signs of recognizing a meek island nation such as herself. She needed to gain a voice-- that voice, so to speak, was military power. America was actually the one to help her in this area. Japan found America to be a youthful yet powerful nation, and so naturally followed her teaching.
As war eventually broke out, Japan fell in place with the newly western military-- mostly as first aid. She believed that in order to help her country, she could start by helping her people. There's actually a canon sketch of her helping male!Italy from a crossover strip that helps show this caring side to her. Combat isn't something she particularly likes in the case of war. She does enjoy knowing it and sparring (that sort of energetic practice sort of thing!), but actual combat is something she as a person would rather avoid. So rather than combat on the battle front, Japan preferred to stick to first aid and leave battle as a defensive movement-- that is, until pearl harbor, which was a case of both the emotional building up mentioned in the personality section and the determined stubbornness mentioned earlier here. However, the modern day Japan no longer works on war. She looks back and views many of her moves as reckless and wishes to repent for them.
Over all, war has truly changed both the history of the country and the personality of the character of Japan. She sticks to first aid, reflecting her meek outer personality, but can easily pull a weapon on an enemy if she finds them threatening, showing the stronger part of her personality. While she used to be reclusive and avoiding towards the world, she slowly gained the goals of both understanding other countries, and making a name for her own. She's both a small island nation and a small girl, but she has a strong spirit and big ideas for the earth, so she does her best to show this through whatever means is necessary in the moment-- be it war, subtle words, or a pointed look. Though she no longer has a military, she has taken these ideas with her and looks to change the world through creation (technology, art, economic sort of things) rather than destruction.
If you'd like any more examples of history of headcanon, feel free to ask!
Personality:
As a mostly "Yamato Nadeshiko" type, Japan is shy, quiet, loyal, wise, and humble. Well, at least that's how she wishes to portray herself-- and she does it quite well for the most part. As you can see in her various appearances, she's drawn with an obviously shy expression, befitting this character type. This is an immediate difference from her male counterpart who constantly wears a stoic expression. Her revealing of this emotion in canon art shows that she is overall more expressive. Also, while she does act the role of the perfect housewife, she is focused more on the youthful side rather than the old. This doesn't mean she lacks tradition; in fact, it's quite the opposite. As a Japanese woman, she believes she's expected to present herself in a certain way-- and she does! Traditions are held very dear to her, and she often gets very emotional over them. If you ask her about any of the festivals or holidays or any history of her country, her face will change to a rather fond expression and she'll speak of it almost like poetry. (Which... may lead to her being disappointed afterwards by the reactions of others such as, say, America or England.) Still, she'll cover any disappointment with a polite smile and nod it off.
However, not all of her emotions are kept locked away so well. Certain traits (such as her stubbornness) can reveal themselves at conflicting times, showing that her usually-meek appearance is not always a fair representation of her. Also, she can easily grow excited over things like holidays, sales, art, and romance. Though she struggles to maintain her quiet and shy image, she often finds it hard to hold back the occasional emotional exclamation or outburst in joy, surprise, or admiration. She'll quickly cover it, however, dusting herself off and mumbling apologies about her fault. Another example of this hidden emotion can show up in the way of anger. As a polite woman, she doesn't believe that showing anger is the right thing to do. It does, though, slide through-- passive aggressively and other ways, as well. Nagging from China could gain a reaction anywhere from making the tea a little worse than usual to bumping into her as they pass, or even muttering some things under her breath. Extreme cases may even show Japan's true anger with a slap or a shove! The extremity of the action all depends on who she's speaking with.
This is because she is very focused on her relationships with others. She pays very close attention to her interactions with others, establishing a very detailed rating chart in her mind. (Think of it almost like a dating sim! She pays very detailed attention to each thing you say!) She is often drawn with England, showing that the two seem to be very close friends. It also mentions that she has "complicated feelings" for America, which surely represent the complicated backgrounds of the two countries' interactions. Japan is the type to hold a grudge if she believes she is wronged, though if she finds herself guilty, she instantly works to repay. Even so many years after WWII, Japan as a country has shown to be harder on itself than America as a country, and the character holds the same. Along with relationships meaning a lot to her, she can "read the atmosphere"-- according to her, this is a shared trait of all Japanese people. The ability to understand a situation and determine whether or not to speak-- that's what she expects of all Japanese. Anyone not meeting her expectations will probably gain a slightly bothered glance, or even a hidden reaction of despair as she turns her head the other way.
Expanding on the idea of relationships, romantic thoughts are one of the things that can trigger more emotional or passionate responses from Japan. She's very much a believer in "story book" romance, so to speak. Considering all of the manga her country produces, she has her ideas very set in stone. She often states that she can't see herself in a relationship like this because she is a country and she's not interested, but that's very much a lie; it's actually a secret dream of hers to partake in such things. Instead, however, she draws and writes and creates things as an outlet. ...You could say her stash of R18+ manga is rather large-- even larger than her male counterpart's erotic woodblock collection.
Basically, Japan is a balance of all things old and new. She maintains tradition while keeping up with new influences, keeps a young spirit though she is quite old, and stays loyally with her country and morals while learning when she has made mistakes and learning from them. She does her best to stay subtle, but sometimes her passion can get in the way, and she's stubborn to the last hit. Loyal to her country, she does her best to represent it, excusing any slip ups as "influence from Westerners" as if it's a totally understandable sort of thing. She's Japan, the country where the sun rises, and she won't let you forget that, despite her initial shy and meek presentation of herself.
Abilities:
As a country, Japan feels the effects of war, economy, and her people. More importantly, though, is the fact that she's stronger than the average human. Countries aren't exactly immortals, but they definitely have long lifespans, and though they don't appear it, their bodies manage to hold them over time. Japan is a little stronger than the average human, but in terms of nations, she's nothing special. If she had to list any "abilities" of hers, it would be the earlier mentioned skill of reading the atmosphere, and probably a very strong connection with technology and adapting.
Sample:
[Vine ; Video]
[Japan can be seen gathering her neatly folded clothes to her chest, shuffling with them nervously before she speaks.]
Ah, I believe-- um, these cats are quite kind. How are they trained? This seems... [she pauses thoughtfully, glancing down at herself. there's some faint blushing, but she moves on with her speaking.]
It's almost as if I'm in a rather main role! What a surprising thing to be thrown into so suddenly. [she says this with the slightest bit of energy, but quickly backs down with an attempt at a stern voice.]
This is not a dream, is it? Is anyone there? America-san, please warn me if you are going to have me in a movie! ...A simple warning was all I needed.