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OOC:
Name: Mary
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IC:
Character name: Norway
Fandom: Axis Powers Hetalia
Timeline: 1943; German Occupation
Age: Country-wise, 1071. Physically, maybe a young nineteen.
~*Magical*~ abilities and strengths: Norway is a nation-tan, which means that, provided the country of Norway exists in some form, he'll continue to live. This does not guarantee health, however. As the incarnation of Norway, his condition parallels that of the nation and people-when the people are starving, he's starving; when his economy sucks, he's sick.
Also, he can see and talk to faeries, trolls, dwarves, ghosts, etc, whatever mystical folk others normally can't even see. As a former viking, he's probably got a really nasty yandere side. Headcanon also says that he's got the skills of his people, which means that he's very good with nature, farming, critiquing, skiing, making ersatz coffee, hunting, and pretty much anything survival-related.
How would they use their abilities?: To troll people. 8| Though if he's ever lonely, he'll just chat up the resident ghost. He'd also very much enjoy talking to the dolphins.
Appearance: The geographical equivalent of sperm.
Though really, he's actually a good looking guy, almost the perfect Nordic stereotype. Almost. He's got white-blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and broad shoulders. The one thing that's not so typical? He's got a pretty face. Not that he's a pretty boy, of course. He's just not manly. Like, at all. At about five feet six inches, he's pretty short for a guy; his bangs are kind of long, too, and he's got a white Nordic-cross hairclip holding back a section of longer bangs.
Also on his hair: he's got a floating hair curl chilling out by his neck. This is Svalbard. Above Svalbard is a little dot-thing that is most likely Jan Mayen, an island that the Dutch used as a base for whaling.
Norway's probably got a pretty nasty set of scars from all of the plague/province-jacking he's experienced in his time, but no-one's going to see them since he usually wears sleeved shirts, dress shirts with ties, and a naval uniform that reflects his rich marine history. He tends to wear darker colours and blues. Unless it's a Santa suit.
Background/Personality: NOTE: Since Norway doesn't actually have a lot of canon time yet--and, realistically, all of this history will never be covered in one web comic--a lot of this is going to be headcanon. However! I used history and headcanon to explain why Norway acts the way he does. Where I've inserted events that are purely headcanon but reflective of his personality, I've made a note. There are also a few passages that are pretty tl;dr about countries that are related to Norway; Norway's history is deeply tied with those of the countries around him, so to understand his response to events I felt it was important that a broader context be provided.
**
One day a long, long time ago, a Country was suddenly born when a man named Harald finally defeated the last of the neighbouring petty kings. This country was Norway-a cute little kid, whose name roughly means “way to the north”. The year was 872. The only other “kingdoms” in Europe weren't even really kingdoms: there were the Franks, Denmark, England was a kid, and Russia was...something. Maybe a province.
Right off the bat, you can see that Norway's old. Like really, really old. He might not look it, and most people might forget it, but he doesn't. It's part of the reason why he's so jaded and detached-he's just dealt with a lot. Probably everything, really. So for him, a lot of worldly things are vaguely wearying. But rather than dwell on this and lament things past, he honours history where it's important. As for the rest of it, he handles it with an attitude and humour that only really makes sense to him.
Let's start in 1349, when Norway got Plague. Up until this time, he had been experiencing a kind of power decay. He had been declining since his power peeked in Viking times, but he still had control of Iceland, Faeroes, and Greeland. Then he lost 50%~60% of his population and a good portion of his nobility. The crown fell to a Swedish heir, and until 1355 Norway was in a union with Sweden, when the next heir came of age and could be crowned King of Norway. This was Håkon. He then married Margrethe, a sister of the Danish king.
And then the Danish king died. When he did, Denmark's throne went by right to Olaf, the son of Håkon and Margrethe.
But then Olaf himself died of sickness. So. The Norwegian male royal line was pretty much pwned.
That left Margrethe and her nephew, Eric of Pomerania. Margrethe, with a vision of a united, single Scandinavian state, worked to have her nephew elected-and accepted-as the king of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. This she achieved finally in 1397. Although some of the other magnates weren't in agreement with her definition of it, kalmarunionen was born.
For Norway, this union entailed a kind drop in status. Not that he was oppressed or repressed, but he lacked the social structure that Denmark and Sweden had. Consequently, he lost influence within the union, losing power to Denmark and Sweden. Over time strife broke out between the two, catching Norway up in between them. Brief as it was, he allied with Sweden in 1439-40, when the two of them were so against the king Denmark they fought about it.
But mostly, Norway was kind of just. There. Not getting any more powerful, but not disappearing from the map either. He had his own church still, and chilled with Denmark when he wasn't busy eking out an existence from what part of his land was arable--or when Denmark wasn't busy fighting with Sweden about power within in the union.This strange kind of twilit, backseat position that Norway fell into during these years was the beginning of a pattern that would define the next few centuries of his existence.
And then it was 1521. Sweden, sick of Danish rule and political antics, decided he had had enough. So he tried to leave. In a strip, Sweden mentions that he leaves the house (where he had been living with Denmark) with Finland because he's tired of the issues. It might be worth noting that Sweden does not mention Norway as a reason for leaving, or even at all.
Anyway, needless to say that Denmark wasn't exactly thrilled with Sweden leaving. What went down nexxt was Denmark''s boss Christian II going to Sweden to play out a reprisal against the Swedish nobility and various other important people that supported breaking the union. The total executions would number around a hundred; the episode would be known as the Stockholm Bloodbath.
So terrible was it, Christian II would be dethroned by his own people in 1523. But the damage was done: Sweden officially broke from the union, and a resentment that would lay--simmering--beneath decades of war was kindled. It would take centuries for Sweden to calm down (and even then he really didn't), and would refuse over and over to reunify. Kalmarunionen was not completely dead, however, for Norway, too weak to manage it structurally and politically, had not left. This of course meant that Denmark and Norway continued on in a union.
But.
Norway wasn't exactly thrilled with this arrangement. You see, around this time Denmark got a new boss who, despite claiming to be against Lutheranism, wasn't actually all that averse to the ideas of the Reformation. Also, the whole dethroning of Christian II? Not really cool with Norway: for centuries, he had only ever been a hereditary monarch. And he's a guy who likes tradition. So when the rightful king replaced by an elected substitute-who was elected by Danish nobles no less-it would only follow that Norway would get a little ticked.
So, the logical solution? He teamed up with about everyone conservative ever-Church officials, old nobles, and even good old Christian II himself, who planned to use Norway as a launching point for an invasion of Denmark. Norway even asked the Archbishop (outside power, aka the Holy Roman Empire) to invade him in hopes of setting up a situation in which the Danes might be kicked out, but it didn't go over so well. In fact, it all pretty much dissolved into a conflict called the Count's War following the death of Frederik I in 1533. The conflict led to some pretty important things, the paramount being that Christian III, on the “liberal.” Lutheran side, ended up becoming the elected king of Denmark. In his charter of 1536 he effectively altered the fabric of Norwegian society by
1) chartering away Norway's Council; from now on, Denmark would take care of Norway's political affairs;
2) making the Norwegian church Lutheran; all earnings and tributes paid to the church were now diverted to the Danish crown
3) altering the clergy that had played a prominent role in Norwegian life in lieu of nobility;
4) threatening Norway with subjugation and the loss of his independent kingdom if he were to ever join in any armed conflict against Denmark.
Some pretty heavy stuff there. This is the point in history where things truly became “tense” or “strained” between Denmark and Norway, especially in retrospect. You see, it's really easy to think that Norway was made a Danish province at this time; he wasn't, but that's the common misconception, one that was heavily disseminated in and after 1814.
Be that as it may, it wasn't the best time for Norway. Here's where some say the “decline” of Norway started. But that is really an ugly term that skews the truth. It was more like the disappearance-for all intents and purposes, Norway disappeared from world history for the next few centuries. And he didn't decline so much as just become stagnant. Technologically, he advanced a bit, and his population grew. Though he was involved in wars-Denmark and Sweden would begin to fight with each other on and off, as well as get sucked into conflicts on the continent. Norway never led anyone but his own army, and his involvement with other countries was very limited. Most of his contact with outside forces was limited to trading partners and the actions of the Hanse, a group of merchant elite that had control of Norway's fishing for awhile.
Meanwhile, Norway's personal outlook began to change. Headcanon: for the first time, Denmark was really truly beginning to pay attention to him. Before this, Denmark had been focussed on Sweden with an intensity so strong it contributed to Sweden's break from the family. Although still focussed on Sweden, by and by Denmark began to notice Norway, spending more and more money and time on Norwegian affairs. So, for a time, Norway was resigned to being taken care of. Maybe he wasn't happy about it, but he didn't revolt. Norway didn't become Danish during this time-the two cultures diffused to a large degree, and Danish became the language of the realm since Norwegian, no longer having a sponsor in a local church, faded away--but Denmark never forced Norway to give up his identity as Norwegian. He loved him-overbearingly so-but always Norway was, well, Norway.
So, Norway's sense of independence did develop a little bit. Not in the sense that he had an identity that was repressed, but that he had an identity that was linked closely with Denmark. Because they were friends-maybe lovers-and their union lasted 434 years. As the years passed, he and Denmark both settled into a kind of personal routine. Denmark's the one who did the most falling in love, though, and came to see Norway as something--more. As his bff, if you will. I believe Denmark came to see Norway as his best friend, too, because they just spent a lot of time together. While Norway himself came to care deeply for Denmark, his affection seems almost nominal compared to Denmark's since 1) he is no where near as expressive or emotive as Denmark, and 2) he's just not as fond of Denmark as Denmark is of him.
Skipping some years. Denmark and Sweden fought some more wars, essentially. :| Also did some reforming.
On 2 April, 1801, England, in a move justified by war and self-interest, attacked Copenhagen. He was not happy with Denmark trying to be neutral in the Napoleonic conflict(s). Though England was the primary maritime power at this time, Denmark managed to put up a pretty decent fight, especially considering that a lot of his navy was dismantled at the time. Even after peace was negotiated and concessions made, he got to keep his neutral trading rights. A pretty sweet deal to be sure, but it probably contributed to a certain atmosphere that lacked the appropriate urgency and caution.
The corrective lesson would come on 2 September, 1807, when England attacked Copenhagen once more. This time, however, there was no mercy. Copenhagen was utterly devastated. What part of Denmark's navy wasn't destroyed, England carried off. Denmark was forced so forced to join Napoleon's side, against England.
So, as part of Denmark, this put Norway into the war. From the beginning, he wasn't exactly thrilled by the decision to side with Napoleon, and this discontent became amplified when his people-and he himself-began to starve. Yeah. England had blockaded. He could not get grain from Denmark, and his own exports of timber and fish suffered. Only in 1809 did things get better when Denmark, wary of possible Norwegian discontent, worked out a deal with England. Norway was allowed to export timber to England and in return England exempted vessels taking Danish grain to Norway. This deal was screwed over in 1812, however, and soon enough famine (and peasant uprisings) were back. What's worse, there were crop failures in Norway.
Meanwhile, Sweden had a change of government. And then Sweden's new Crown Prince and unofficial Dude-With-the-Power, Karl Johan, made Sweden's foreign policy pretty much “forget Finland, we're going for Norway.” Basically, Sweden got weird and realised, "Oh hey, Norway exists, let's take him from Denmark." So, Sweden joined in with England, Austria, and Russia to get Norway promised to him.
In October of 1813, when the war was drawing a close, Sweden broke his troops away and marched up to Denmark. Sweden threatened to invade Jutland (the continental part of Denmark), stuff happened, and Denmark knew that he wasn't going to be able to keep Norway. On 14 January, 1814, the Treaty of Kiel was signed, by which Denmark gave Norway to the king of Sweden in exchange for Pomerania. Denmark was aloud to keep Iceland, Greenland, and Faeroes, possessions that had been Norwegian during their union. Norway was expected to...do something. Maybe join with Sweden. Definitely to obey the Bigger Countries.
The floodgates were opened, at least sort of. What happened next wasn't exactly revolutionary, but emotions certainly ran high. And Norway was not happy with being given over like that. He was basically like “hello, uh, I exist.” Because, you know. You'd be pretty pissed too if someone just decided for you like that.
The first major climax came on 16 (or 17th, officially) May, when a Norwegian Constitution was signed, Norway was declared an independent nation, a governmental body called Storting was provided for, and the Danish viceroy was declared king.
This whole time Sweden was not amused by Norway not coming to live with him. After all, that is what the Treaty of Kiel-and the bigger nations-had told him to do. So, on 29 July, Sweden invaded Norway. Kind of awkward for the both of them, really.
Despite being a greater military power, Sweden wasn't able to immediately overwhelm Norway; Sweden was tired from the previous war. Obstinate, Norway won a few important tactical victories. However, that was not enough, and on 7 August Sweden presented a ceasefire that called for a personal union, saying that the Norwegian constitution would be considered as a base for negotiations. On 10 August the Convention of Moss convened for negotiations regarding the ceasefire. It was over by the 14th. The outcome of this was Norway effectively getting to coast around the Treaty of Kiel. He still agreed to settle into a union with Sweden, though.
This all worked for Sweden, too, since it looked better if Norway negotiated into a union, rather than if he was forced. Or annexed. So, in this, Norway's resistance before and during the war kind of sort of paid off; even if he was forced into the union he-by his own will and with the help of outside forces-was able to actually have a say. And that was what mattered the most.
During the next 90 some years, Sweden and Norway didn't exactly get along. Sweden tried a few times to symbolically place himself above Norway; Norway immediately fussed each time. In doing so, Norway only fuelled his own nationalistic fire. As the years past Norway became more fiercely independent, but it wasn't a destructive force. He focussed his energy on building up institutions and infrastructure that Denmark had never developed for him, as well as developing a truly Norwegian identity; only a fraction of energy went towards giving Sweden a hard time. In my head, I can easily see Norway glaring at Sweden when their two governments were meeting, making weird gestures and chatting up his faerie friends just to make things awkward and uncomfortable. If not that, then just looming and trying to make Sweden uncomfortable. He's done this canon. He stood over his brother, looming and threatening, his hand on his little bro's shoulder as he tried to get him to do something.
In 1906, he and Sweden finally dissolved the union when several irreconcilable issues came to a head in a remarkably peaceful way. Independent at last, Norway set out into the world. Didn't make a big splash, but he was there-a fully sovereign nation, finally, after having spent all the time from 1380 to present in various political unions. Instead of bursting onto the world stage, Norway set his sights on internal development. Again, not really focussed on the outside world; he avoided power politics and alliances. Given the choice, Norway chose to be removed.
Norway's person was also deeply affected by his 90 year union with Sweden. That much became quite apparent at this time. (And this is all headcanon from here, orz) In 1906, after Denmark gave Norway his prince, he approached Norway about resuming their relationship. Denmark was actually quite excited as it was, having hardly seen his friend for most of the past century. However, Norway turned Denmark down because there was no political need. He was very proud of independence, to the point where maybe he was a little paranoid. In any case, he still talked to the Dane and was on good terms. He just wasn't ready to have a friend with benefits, and he really didn't want to bother with someone who insisted on taking care of him. He could take care of himself, of that he was certain.
With this in mind, it should be noted that in canon Norway is kind of violent towards Denmark. Just like. His irritation actually radiates in little waves, and he chokes the Dane with own tie when Denmark begins to make an annoying comment. Norway may be violent towards Denmark, but he is not vicious--he acts not with the intent to hurt, but with the purpose to make a point. After spending much time together, Norway is pretty sure he can count on the fact that Denmark won't understand him. To compound the problem, Denmark still thinks of Norway as his bff and cannot be convinced otherwise. Even if Norway teases him.
So Norway'll be teasing him forever. And ever.
Anyway, some stuff happened. Germany got really poor, then the whole world did, and Europe fell into a mess. Then Poland got invaded. Hello, 1939.
As had become habit, Scandinavia called for neutrality. The effectiveness and reasons behind this policy varied from country to country: Denmark knew he would have to be careful with Germany, considering that they were major trading partners. Sweden hadn't fought a war since 1814.
Norway, who had maintained neutrality since laying down his arms with Sweden in 1814, figured that no-one would bother with him and, if someone actually did try to invade, England would rescue him. Because really, who would want to mess with him? In my headcanon, he was quite passive-aggressive about the whole thing: passive in the sense that he was neutral, aggressive in the fact that he was so determined to be so.
Under no realistic circumstances was Norway really going to be able to maintain his neutrality though: England was going to need his waters since Swedish ore was so vital. As was control of the Baltic Sea, although here England limited himself from testing Danish neutrality: Denmark was likely to turn to Germany or, if not, Germany was likely to get involved under the pretense of “helping” Denmark. So he left Denmark's point of access to the Baltic sea, the Sound, alone.
And the Allies weren't the only one with interests in Norway-Germany imported a lot of Swedish ore, and so control of Narvik, one of the key shipping ports in Norway and access points to Scandinavian minefields, could under no circumstances be allowed to fall into Allied control. But Norway still remained determined. Neutrality was something he would strive for, a traditional policy he would uphold. This all in the face that, with the Great Powers now interested in his ports and position, neutrality seemed a bit impractical. Something was bound to happen which would prompt one side to flagrantly violate his neutrality, if not take him over completely.
Both the Allies and Germany came up with plans to invade Norway as the months dragged on. Germany was also upset over the Altmark affair, during which Britain completely violated the neutrality of Norwegian territorial waters to mount an assault on a German ship carrying prisoners of war. This was despite Norwegian officials--who had been tricked--insisting that there were no prisoners. The point, as Hitler saw it, was that Norway could not be counted on to defend his neutrality from Britain and British interests. Norway, upset at England, tried to reassure Germany that he could manage his waters, but he did not go to great lengths to do so.
Both sides were getting ready to carry out their invasion plans until March 12, 1940, when word reached them that Finland, who had been defending against invasion from the Soviet Union, had capitulated. This upset all plans-the would-be occupiers lost the pretense for military action (though not the will, to be sure, as Germany and Britain just made other plans). Because of the subsequent increase in pressure and warning signals from Germany-news that some kind of action was looming-Norway finally allowed England to carry through with a defensive plan, beginning with setting up minefields in his waters.
This mining started on April 8. By a mere matter of timetables coincidentally lining up, Germany invaded on the night of April 8-9. Operation Weserbung-the invasion of Norway (and Denmark)-had been launched.
But it was clear that Norway would not just roll over, and that's part of the reason why the German occupation of Norway was more “tough” than the occupation of Denmark. Norway was not going to make it easy for the invader, even if that invader was clearly stronger than him; that's just his person. He doesn't make things easy, and that's generally how the occupation unfolded. Meanwhile, King Håkon and the Norwegian-government-in-exile continued to govern Norway from London, co-ordinating everything from raids to resistance with the help of British forces.
One more thing that's illustrative of Norway's mentality of resistance and is important to mention is Prime Minister Quisling. A Norwegian Nazi, he had always been considered a strange man and was outcast to the political fringe. In 1939 he had appealed to Hitler and had helped plan the initial invasion of his Norway until those plans fell through. He was then ignored until the aftermath of the 1940 invasion. Quisling, by chance, caught Hitler in an euphoric mood, and thus got himself support to prop up a government. Although he would eventually lose most of this power and become not much more than a glorified talking head, here was a Norwegian Nazi who had pretty much sold out his country. The point being? Headcanon says that Norway is not fond of Quisling at all--neither on a personal level, or the part of him that is his people. Instead, Norway is fiercely loyal to his king, as he always has been.
Anyway, the whole Quisling thing made a lot of outside people think that Norway was Nazi sympathetic. The Allies called him a traitor. But he wasn't. The thing is, after his initial resistance, he was kind of quiet in a way that seemed submissive. Really though, it was more a way of avoiding a major conflict, since there comes a point when direct confrontation is pointless.
Norway can appreciate that he's defeated. Doesn't mean that he likes it, or that he's conquered, but he knows there's a certain way he has to go about these things. Maybe an impractical way, but that doesn't matter. He can still sabotage German plans on a small scale, but a large scale uprising would just result in large scale reprisals against his citizens.
So why would he make a bad situation worse? In his subtle resistance, though, his hardworking nature and resilience is quite lucid. Seriously, despite this guy's pretty bored and deadpan appearance, he's actually very thoughtful. Just very internal and pessimistic-with a bit of a fatalistic streak, but that's a fallacy most smaller countries share. He's described as being very removed from the world.
As for the internal part, he at the very least has a special understanding with his little brother Iceland. In canon Norway teases the poor boy to death, but it's a very affectionate teasing, even if it mortifies Iceland. Also, he mentions that he and Iceland had an agreement to do something when they were kids--if Norway turned out to actually be Iceland's older brother by blood, Iceland would have to call him "older brother". Iceland refused at first. Then Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, invited by Iceland to see the DNA report that officially confirms that he and Norway are brothers, give Iceland a hard time. They all ask him to call them "older brother". Norway's the one exerting the most pressure--looming and everything--until Iceland gets flustered and storms off. Norway then kind of gets this look about him that makes it seem like he wants to go after Iceland. But he doesn't, even though he moves in front of the other family members.
This suggests that Norway was concerned, but didn't go after Iceland since he knew his little bro wasn't really that mad. He was just having a tiny tantrum. Iceland's got a lot of volcanoes, you see, so he can have moods like a teenager.
Norway believes very much in egalitarian principles-for most of his life his people have mostly been self-sufficient. And while he wasn't exactly self-sufficient under Denmark, it's not like he was mooching off of the guy. Although he did kinda depend on him in an unspoken why, just like he depended on Britain. There's a reason why, though, I figure his relationship with England isn't as complex as his relationship with Denmark. It's true that the both of them end up bossing him around to a degree. Be that as it may, England doesn't always pretend that he knows what is best for Norway, whereas Denmark does. Instead, England just thinks that Norway ought to do what he tells him if he expects to be helped. Denmark expects Norway to listen because he's doing what is best for him: more than England, Denmark has Norway's best interests at heart, and that can be a bit overwhelming for a guy who is trying to make his own decisions.
Also, despite the fact that he depended on England and Denmark to certain degrees, Norway gives the both of them a hard time. He's really good at that-even his poor little brother gets teased.
Why should that character be in this game: For OCs only.
Why do you want to continue their history here: For characters from other games only.
Have you read up on how the game works?: Yes. I reviewed it and everything 'cause I'm that good. It's called FlamingFurret. Characters may beg, go on missions, or, like, get a job what is that.
1st person sample: [Private] Dear Diary
I saw something today. Can't say for sure what it was. But what is anything here? There're gods and fae, and some winged creatures; kind of like a blend of pantheons. Or pandemonium. But it is isn't. It's a space station. And there are space ships. Something that can take you into space. Even farther than the moon.
I wonder if I could visit Sol. [/Private]
Who's the one who took all the napkins? Those are valuable, you! Don't waste something ya could use again. For something like writing on, or stuffing yer clothing for insulation. [...] If it were to get that cold.
And it could. Ya never know what the weather is going to be like.
3rd person sample: There's a storm somewhere out at sea.
At least that's what Norway thought-what he could feel. It was a vague kind of feeling, a pressure that was neither at the back of his head nor under his skin.
But the pressure is there, in both places and more, for sure, because it made him roll over, it made him wake up. And now he can't get back to sleep. Curled up, he waited, but nothing happened. Eventually his legs fell asleep.
So he thought. Anxiety wasn't something he was used to. He has had his army and that was good enough-he could defend himself against Sweden while Denmark struggled, and in general the stresses of the continent never reached him. The scars Norway wears--the deep gashes long since filled with tough, too pale flesh-aren't really his fault because he wasn't the one who lost. Denmark did. The wars were between Denmark and Sweden. But he could live with this latticework on his back, had learned to, because it wasn't really a big deal anyway. He doesn't see it, not unless he looks in a mirror, and he didn't do that often.
Norway, restless yet, rolled over and out of bed. The feeling was still there, forcing a kind of eagerness that Norway couldn't quite ignore. But what was there to do?
He has a thought about something his government was told-Germans moving strangely, a ship was sunk off your coast. This was earlier, when Norway first got this feeling, this thing that started as a dim unease that could've been indigestion. It wasn't his place to do anything about it, because if his bosses weren't worrying, why should he?
And anyway, it wasn't like his position invites an invasion. Maybe Narvik might get conquered, but that wasn't really about him: who didn't want Sweden's ore these days? The feeling he had seemed ominous enough to portend a looming an invasion, not the imminent loss of a port, no matter how important it was.
He was quiet as he left his home for a walk. A way to calm his nerves. Because walking was something he had always liked to do, and the air had always been there for him to breathe. The snow was still on the street because it was April, and the air was as cold and still was any four am morning, but something was off.
When Norway saw it, the feeling hit him finally: in his port was a fleet, quiet and peaceful, only out of place because it was German, welcomed not by a defence but a by a town just as quiet and peaceful.
He was being invaded, he realised. And the rest of his body was tingling.
It's going to ache soon.
Questions?: Nope.
Did you put your characters name and fandom in the subject: Yes, I did. Like a boss.
Name: Mary
Are you over 16?: Yeap, as far as I know.
Personal LJ: olynthus
Email: Amelda_Anderson@yahoo.com
Timezone: Pacific Standard
Other contact: [aim] nightmistfairy
Characters already in the game: no-one at the moment
How did you find us?: Friendssss
IC:
Character name: Norway
Fandom: Axis Powers Hetalia
Timeline: 1943; German Occupation
Age: Country-wise, 1071. Physically, maybe a young nineteen.
~*Magical*~ abilities and strengths: Norway is a nation-tan, which means that, provided the country of Norway exists in some form, he'll continue to live. This does not guarantee health, however. As the incarnation of Norway, his condition parallels that of the nation and people-when the people are starving, he's starving; when his economy sucks, he's sick.
Also, he can see and talk to faeries, trolls, dwarves, ghosts, etc, whatever mystical folk others normally can't even see. As a former viking, he's probably got a really nasty yandere side. Headcanon also says that he's got the skills of his people, which means that he's very good with nature, farming, critiquing, skiing, making ersatz coffee, hunting, and pretty much anything survival-related.
How would they use their abilities?: To troll people. 8| Though if he's ever lonely, he'll just chat up the resident ghost. He'd also very much enjoy talking to the dolphins.
Appearance: The geographical equivalent of sperm.
Though really, he's actually a good looking guy, almost the perfect Nordic stereotype. Almost. He's got white-blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and broad shoulders. The one thing that's not so typical? He's got a pretty face. Not that he's a pretty boy, of course. He's just not manly. Like, at all. At about five feet six inches, he's pretty short for a guy; his bangs are kind of long, too, and he's got a white Nordic-cross hairclip holding back a section of longer bangs.
Also on his hair: he's got a floating hair curl chilling out by his neck. This is Svalbard. Above Svalbard is a little dot-thing that is most likely Jan Mayen, an island that the Dutch used as a base for whaling.
Norway's probably got a pretty nasty set of scars from all of the plague/province-jacking he's experienced in his time, but no-one's going to see them since he usually wears sleeved shirts, dress shirts with ties, and a naval uniform that reflects his rich marine history. He tends to wear darker colours and blues. Unless it's a Santa suit.
Background/Personality: NOTE: Since Norway doesn't actually have a lot of canon time yet--and, realistically, all of this history will never be covered in one web comic--a lot of this is going to be headcanon. However! I used history and headcanon to explain why Norway acts the way he does. Where I've inserted events that are purely headcanon but reflective of his personality, I've made a note. There are also a few passages that are pretty tl;dr about countries that are related to Norway; Norway's history is deeply tied with those of the countries around him, so to understand his response to events I felt it was important that a broader context be provided.
**
One day a long, long time ago, a Country was suddenly born when a man named Harald finally defeated the last of the neighbouring petty kings. This country was Norway-a cute little kid, whose name roughly means “way to the north”. The year was 872. The only other “kingdoms” in Europe weren't even really kingdoms: there were the Franks, Denmark, England was a kid, and Russia was...something. Maybe a province.
Right off the bat, you can see that Norway's old. Like really, really old. He might not look it, and most people might forget it, but he doesn't. It's part of the reason why he's so jaded and detached-he's just dealt with a lot. Probably everything, really. So for him, a lot of worldly things are vaguely wearying. But rather than dwell on this and lament things past, he honours history where it's important. As for the rest of it, he handles it with an attitude and humour that only really makes sense to him.
Let's start in 1349, when Norway got Plague. Up until this time, he had been experiencing a kind of power decay. He had been declining since his power peeked in Viking times, but he still had control of Iceland, Faeroes, and Greeland. Then he lost 50%~60% of his population and a good portion of his nobility. The crown fell to a Swedish heir, and until 1355 Norway was in a union with Sweden, when the next heir came of age and could be crowned King of Norway. This was Håkon. He then married Margrethe, a sister of the Danish king.
And then the Danish king died. When he did, Denmark's throne went by right to Olaf, the son of Håkon and Margrethe.
But then Olaf himself died of sickness. So. The Norwegian male royal line was pretty much pwned.
That left Margrethe and her nephew, Eric of Pomerania. Margrethe, with a vision of a united, single Scandinavian state, worked to have her nephew elected-and accepted-as the king of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. This she achieved finally in 1397. Although some of the other magnates weren't in agreement with her definition of it, kalmarunionen was born.
For Norway, this union entailed a kind drop in status. Not that he was oppressed or repressed, but he lacked the social structure that Denmark and Sweden had. Consequently, he lost influence within the union, losing power to Denmark and Sweden. Over time strife broke out between the two, catching Norway up in between them. Brief as it was, he allied with Sweden in 1439-40, when the two of them were so against the king Denmark they fought about it.
But mostly, Norway was kind of just. There. Not getting any more powerful, but not disappearing from the map either. He had his own church still, and chilled with Denmark when he wasn't busy eking out an existence from what part of his land was arable--or when Denmark wasn't busy fighting with Sweden about power within in the union.This strange kind of twilit, backseat position that Norway fell into during these years was the beginning of a pattern that would define the next few centuries of his existence.
And then it was 1521. Sweden, sick of Danish rule and political antics, decided he had had enough. So he tried to leave. In a strip, Sweden mentions that he leaves the house (where he had been living with Denmark) with Finland because he's tired of the issues. It might be worth noting that Sweden does not mention Norway as a reason for leaving, or even at all.
Anyway, needless to say that Denmark wasn't exactly thrilled with Sweden leaving. What went down nexxt was Denmark''s boss Christian II going to Sweden to play out a reprisal against the Swedish nobility and various other important people that supported breaking the union. The total executions would number around a hundred; the episode would be known as the Stockholm Bloodbath.
So terrible was it, Christian II would be dethroned by his own people in 1523. But the damage was done: Sweden officially broke from the union, and a resentment that would lay--simmering--beneath decades of war was kindled. It would take centuries for Sweden to calm down (and even then he really didn't), and would refuse over and over to reunify. Kalmarunionen was not completely dead, however, for Norway, too weak to manage it structurally and politically, had not left. This of course meant that Denmark and Norway continued on in a union.
But.
Norway wasn't exactly thrilled with this arrangement. You see, around this time Denmark got a new boss who, despite claiming to be against Lutheranism, wasn't actually all that averse to the ideas of the Reformation. Also, the whole dethroning of Christian II? Not really cool with Norway: for centuries, he had only ever been a hereditary monarch. And he's a guy who likes tradition. So when the rightful king replaced by an elected substitute-who was elected by Danish nobles no less-it would only follow that Norway would get a little ticked.
So, the logical solution? He teamed up with about everyone conservative ever-Church officials, old nobles, and even good old Christian II himself, who planned to use Norway as a launching point for an invasion of Denmark. Norway even asked the Archbishop (outside power, aka the Holy Roman Empire) to invade him in hopes of setting up a situation in which the Danes might be kicked out, but it didn't go over so well. In fact, it all pretty much dissolved into a conflict called the Count's War following the death of Frederik I in 1533. The conflict led to some pretty important things, the paramount being that Christian III, on the “liberal.” Lutheran side, ended up becoming the elected king of Denmark. In his charter of 1536 he effectively altered the fabric of Norwegian society by
1) chartering away Norway's Council; from now on, Denmark would take care of Norway's political affairs;
2) making the Norwegian church Lutheran; all earnings and tributes paid to the church were now diverted to the Danish crown
3) altering the clergy that had played a prominent role in Norwegian life in lieu of nobility;
4) threatening Norway with subjugation and the loss of his independent kingdom if he were to ever join in any armed conflict against Denmark.
Some pretty heavy stuff there. This is the point in history where things truly became “tense” or “strained” between Denmark and Norway, especially in retrospect. You see, it's really easy to think that Norway was made a Danish province at this time; he wasn't, but that's the common misconception, one that was heavily disseminated in and after 1814.
Be that as it may, it wasn't the best time for Norway. Here's where some say the “decline” of Norway started. But that is really an ugly term that skews the truth. It was more like the disappearance-for all intents and purposes, Norway disappeared from world history for the next few centuries. And he didn't decline so much as just become stagnant. Technologically, he advanced a bit, and his population grew. Though he was involved in wars-Denmark and Sweden would begin to fight with each other on and off, as well as get sucked into conflicts on the continent. Norway never led anyone but his own army, and his involvement with other countries was very limited. Most of his contact with outside forces was limited to trading partners and the actions of the Hanse, a group of merchant elite that had control of Norway's fishing for awhile.
Meanwhile, Norway's personal outlook began to change. Headcanon: for the first time, Denmark was really truly beginning to pay attention to him. Before this, Denmark had been focussed on Sweden with an intensity so strong it contributed to Sweden's break from the family. Although still focussed on Sweden, by and by Denmark began to notice Norway, spending more and more money and time on Norwegian affairs. So, for a time, Norway was resigned to being taken care of. Maybe he wasn't happy about it, but he didn't revolt. Norway didn't become Danish during this time-the two cultures diffused to a large degree, and Danish became the language of the realm since Norwegian, no longer having a sponsor in a local church, faded away--but Denmark never forced Norway to give up his identity as Norwegian. He loved him-overbearingly so-but always Norway was, well, Norway.
So, Norway's sense of independence did develop a little bit. Not in the sense that he had an identity that was repressed, but that he had an identity that was linked closely with Denmark. Because they were friends-maybe lovers-and their union lasted 434 years. As the years passed, he and Denmark both settled into a kind of personal routine. Denmark's the one who did the most falling in love, though, and came to see Norway as something--more. As his bff, if you will. I believe Denmark came to see Norway as his best friend, too, because they just spent a lot of time together. While Norway himself came to care deeply for Denmark, his affection seems almost nominal compared to Denmark's since 1) he is no where near as expressive or emotive as Denmark, and 2) he's just not as fond of Denmark as Denmark is of him.
Skipping some years. Denmark and Sweden fought some more wars, essentially. :| Also did some reforming.
On 2 April, 1801, England, in a move justified by war and self-interest, attacked Copenhagen. He was not happy with Denmark trying to be neutral in the Napoleonic conflict(s). Though England was the primary maritime power at this time, Denmark managed to put up a pretty decent fight, especially considering that a lot of his navy was dismantled at the time. Even after peace was negotiated and concessions made, he got to keep his neutral trading rights. A pretty sweet deal to be sure, but it probably contributed to a certain atmosphere that lacked the appropriate urgency and caution.
The corrective lesson would come on 2 September, 1807, when England attacked Copenhagen once more. This time, however, there was no mercy. Copenhagen was utterly devastated. What part of Denmark's navy wasn't destroyed, England carried off. Denmark was forced so forced to join Napoleon's side, against England.
So, as part of Denmark, this put Norway into the war. From the beginning, he wasn't exactly thrilled by the decision to side with Napoleon, and this discontent became amplified when his people-and he himself-began to starve. Yeah. England had blockaded. He could not get grain from Denmark, and his own exports of timber and fish suffered. Only in 1809 did things get better when Denmark, wary of possible Norwegian discontent, worked out a deal with England. Norway was allowed to export timber to England and in return England exempted vessels taking Danish grain to Norway. This deal was screwed over in 1812, however, and soon enough famine (and peasant uprisings) were back. What's worse, there were crop failures in Norway.
Meanwhile, Sweden had a change of government. And then Sweden's new Crown Prince and unofficial Dude-With-the-Power, Karl Johan, made Sweden's foreign policy pretty much “forget Finland, we're going for Norway.” Basically, Sweden got weird and realised, "Oh hey, Norway exists, let's take him from Denmark." So, Sweden joined in with England, Austria, and Russia to get Norway promised to him.
In October of 1813, when the war was drawing a close, Sweden broke his troops away and marched up to Denmark. Sweden threatened to invade Jutland (the continental part of Denmark), stuff happened, and Denmark knew that he wasn't going to be able to keep Norway. On 14 January, 1814, the Treaty of Kiel was signed, by which Denmark gave Norway to the king of Sweden in exchange for Pomerania. Denmark was aloud to keep Iceland, Greenland, and Faeroes, possessions that had been Norwegian during their union. Norway was expected to...do something. Maybe join with Sweden. Definitely to obey the Bigger Countries.
The floodgates were opened, at least sort of. What happened next wasn't exactly revolutionary, but emotions certainly ran high. And Norway was not happy with being given over like that. He was basically like “hello, uh, I exist.” Because, you know. You'd be pretty pissed too if someone just decided for you like that.
The first major climax came on 16 (or 17th, officially) May, when a Norwegian Constitution was signed, Norway was declared an independent nation, a governmental body called Storting was provided for, and the Danish viceroy was declared king.
This whole time Sweden was not amused by Norway not coming to live with him. After all, that is what the Treaty of Kiel-and the bigger nations-had told him to do. So, on 29 July, Sweden invaded Norway. Kind of awkward for the both of them, really.
Despite being a greater military power, Sweden wasn't able to immediately overwhelm Norway; Sweden was tired from the previous war. Obstinate, Norway won a few important tactical victories. However, that was not enough, and on 7 August Sweden presented a ceasefire that called for a personal union, saying that the Norwegian constitution would be considered as a base for negotiations. On 10 August the Convention of Moss convened for negotiations regarding the ceasefire. It was over by the 14th. The outcome of this was Norway effectively getting to coast around the Treaty of Kiel. He still agreed to settle into a union with Sweden, though.
This all worked for Sweden, too, since it looked better if Norway negotiated into a union, rather than if he was forced. Or annexed. So, in this, Norway's resistance before and during the war kind of sort of paid off; even if he was forced into the union he-by his own will and with the help of outside forces-was able to actually have a say. And that was what mattered the most.
During the next 90 some years, Sweden and Norway didn't exactly get along. Sweden tried a few times to symbolically place himself above Norway; Norway immediately fussed each time. In doing so, Norway only fuelled his own nationalistic fire. As the years past Norway became more fiercely independent, but it wasn't a destructive force. He focussed his energy on building up institutions and infrastructure that Denmark had never developed for him, as well as developing a truly Norwegian identity; only a fraction of energy went towards giving Sweden a hard time. In my head, I can easily see Norway glaring at Sweden when their two governments were meeting, making weird gestures and chatting up his faerie friends just to make things awkward and uncomfortable. If not that, then just looming and trying to make Sweden uncomfortable. He's done this canon. He stood over his brother, looming and threatening, his hand on his little bro's shoulder as he tried to get him to do something.
In 1906, he and Sweden finally dissolved the union when several irreconcilable issues came to a head in a remarkably peaceful way. Independent at last, Norway set out into the world. Didn't make a big splash, but he was there-a fully sovereign nation, finally, after having spent all the time from 1380 to present in various political unions. Instead of bursting onto the world stage, Norway set his sights on internal development. Again, not really focussed on the outside world; he avoided power politics and alliances. Given the choice, Norway chose to be removed.
Norway's person was also deeply affected by his 90 year union with Sweden. That much became quite apparent at this time. (And this is all headcanon from here, orz) In 1906, after Denmark gave Norway his prince, he approached Norway about resuming their relationship. Denmark was actually quite excited as it was, having hardly seen his friend for most of the past century. However, Norway turned Denmark down because there was no political need. He was very proud of independence, to the point where maybe he was a little paranoid. In any case, he still talked to the Dane and was on good terms. He just wasn't ready to have a friend with benefits, and he really didn't want to bother with someone who insisted on taking care of him. He could take care of himself, of that he was certain.
With this in mind, it should be noted that in canon Norway is kind of violent towards Denmark. Just like. His irritation actually radiates in little waves, and he chokes the Dane with own tie when Denmark begins to make an annoying comment. Norway may be violent towards Denmark, but he is not vicious--he acts not with the intent to hurt, but with the purpose to make a point. After spending much time together, Norway is pretty sure he can count on the fact that Denmark won't understand him. To compound the problem, Denmark still thinks of Norway as his bff and cannot be convinced otherwise. Even if Norway teases him.
So Norway'll be teasing him forever. And ever.
Anyway, some stuff happened. Germany got really poor, then the whole world did, and Europe fell into a mess. Then Poland got invaded. Hello, 1939.
As had become habit, Scandinavia called for neutrality. The effectiveness and reasons behind this policy varied from country to country: Denmark knew he would have to be careful with Germany, considering that they were major trading partners. Sweden hadn't fought a war since 1814.
Norway, who had maintained neutrality since laying down his arms with Sweden in 1814, figured that no-one would bother with him and, if someone actually did try to invade, England would rescue him. Because really, who would want to mess with him? In my headcanon, he was quite passive-aggressive about the whole thing: passive in the sense that he was neutral, aggressive in the fact that he was so determined to be so.
Under no realistic circumstances was Norway really going to be able to maintain his neutrality though: England was going to need his waters since Swedish ore was so vital. As was control of the Baltic Sea, although here England limited himself from testing Danish neutrality: Denmark was likely to turn to Germany or, if not, Germany was likely to get involved under the pretense of “helping” Denmark. So he left Denmark's point of access to the Baltic sea, the Sound, alone.
And the Allies weren't the only one with interests in Norway-Germany imported a lot of Swedish ore, and so control of Narvik, one of the key shipping ports in Norway and access points to Scandinavian minefields, could under no circumstances be allowed to fall into Allied control. But Norway still remained determined. Neutrality was something he would strive for, a traditional policy he would uphold. This all in the face that, with the Great Powers now interested in his ports and position, neutrality seemed a bit impractical. Something was bound to happen which would prompt one side to flagrantly violate his neutrality, if not take him over completely.
Both the Allies and Germany came up with plans to invade Norway as the months dragged on. Germany was also upset over the Altmark affair, during which Britain completely violated the neutrality of Norwegian territorial waters to mount an assault on a German ship carrying prisoners of war. This was despite Norwegian officials--who had been tricked--insisting that there were no prisoners. The point, as Hitler saw it, was that Norway could not be counted on to defend his neutrality from Britain and British interests. Norway, upset at England, tried to reassure Germany that he could manage his waters, but he did not go to great lengths to do so.
Both sides were getting ready to carry out their invasion plans until March 12, 1940, when word reached them that Finland, who had been defending against invasion from the Soviet Union, had capitulated. This upset all plans-the would-be occupiers lost the pretense for military action (though not the will, to be sure, as Germany and Britain just made other plans). Because of the subsequent increase in pressure and warning signals from Germany-news that some kind of action was looming-Norway finally allowed England to carry through with a defensive plan, beginning with setting up minefields in his waters.
This mining started on April 8. By a mere matter of timetables coincidentally lining up, Germany invaded on the night of April 8-9. Operation Weserbung-the invasion of Norway (and Denmark)-had been launched.
But it was clear that Norway would not just roll over, and that's part of the reason why the German occupation of Norway was more “tough” than the occupation of Denmark. Norway was not going to make it easy for the invader, even if that invader was clearly stronger than him; that's just his person. He doesn't make things easy, and that's generally how the occupation unfolded. Meanwhile, King Håkon and the Norwegian-government-in-exile continued to govern Norway from London, co-ordinating everything from raids to resistance with the help of British forces.
One more thing that's illustrative of Norway's mentality of resistance and is important to mention is Prime Minister Quisling. A Norwegian Nazi, he had always been considered a strange man and was outcast to the political fringe. In 1939 he had appealed to Hitler and had helped plan the initial invasion of his Norway until those plans fell through. He was then ignored until the aftermath of the 1940 invasion. Quisling, by chance, caught Hitler in an euphoric mood, and thus got himself support to prop up a government. Although he would eventually lose most of this power and become not much more than a glorified talking head, here was a Norwegian Nazi who had pretty much sold out his country. The point being? Headcanon says that Norway is not fond of Quisling at all--neither on a personal level, or the part of him that is his people. Instead, Norway is fiercely loyal to his king, as he always has been.
Anyway, the whole Quisling thing made a lot of outside people think that Norway was Nazi sympathetic. The Allies called him a traitor. But he wasn't. The thing is, after his initial resistance, he was kind of quiet in a way that seemed submissive. Really though, it was more a way of avoiding a major conflict, since there comes a point when direct confrontation is pointless.
Norway can appreciate that he's defeated. Doesn't mean that he likes it, or that he's conquered, but he knows there's a certain way he has to go about these things. Maybe an impractical way, but that doesn't matter. He can still sabotage German plans on a small scale, but a large scale uprising would just result in large scale reprisals against his citizens.
So why would he make a bad situation worse? In his subtle resistance, though, his hardworking nature and resilience is quite lucid. Seriously, despite this guy's pretty bored and deadpan appearance, he's actually very thoughtful. Just very internal and pessimistic-with a bit of a fatalistic streak, but that's a fallacy most smaller countries share. He's described as being very removed from the world.
As for the internal part, he at the very least has a special understanding with his little brother Iceland. In canon Norway teases the poor boy to death, but it's a very affectionate teasing, even if it mortifies Iceland. Also, he mentions that he and Iceland had an agreement to do something when they were kids--if Norway turned out to actually be Iceland's older brother by blood, Iceland would have to call him "older brother". Iceland refused at first. Then Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, invited by Iceland to see the DNA report that officially confirms that he and Norway are brothers, give Iceland a hard time. They all ask him to call them "older brother". Norway's the one exerting the most pressure--looming and everything--until Iceland gets flustered and storms off. Norway then kind of gets this look about him that makes it seem like he wants to go after Iceland. But he doesn't, even though he moves in front of the other family members.
This suggests that Norway was concerned, but didn't go after Iceland since he knew his little bro wasn't really that mad. He was just having a tiny tantrum. Iceland's got a lot of volcanoes, you see, so he can have moods like a teenager.
Norway believes very much in egalitarian principles-for most of his life his people have mostly been self-sufficient. And while he wasn't exactly self-sufficient under Denmark, it's not like he was mooching off of the guy. Although he did kinda depend on him in an unspoken why, just like he depended on Britain. There's a reason why, though, I figure his relationship with England isn't as complex as his relationship with Denmark. It's true that the both of them end up bossing him around to a degree. Be that as it may, England doesn't always pretend that he knows what is best for Norway, whereas Denmark does. Instead, England just thinks that Norway ought to do what he tells him if he expects to be helped. Denmark expects Norway to listen because he's doing what is best for him: more than England, Denmark has Norway's best interests at heart, and that can be a bit overwhelming for a guy who is trying to make his own decisions.
Also, despite the fact that he depended on England and Denmark to certain degrees, Norway gives the both of them a hard time. He's really good at that-even his poor little brother gets teased.
Why should that character be in this game: For OCs only.
Why do you want to continue their history here: For characters from other games only.
Have you read up on how the game works?: Yes. I reviewed it and everything 'cause I'm that good. It's called FlamingFurret. Characters may beg, go on missions, or, like, get a job what is that.
1st person sample: [Private] Dear Diary
I saw something today. Can't say for sure what it was. But what is anything here? There're gods and fae, and some winged creatures; kind of like a blend of pantheons. Or pandemonium. But it is isn't. It's a space station. And there are space ships. Something that can take you into space. Even farther than the moon.
I wonder if I could visit Sol. [/Private]
Who's the one who took all the napkins? Those are valuable, you! Don't waste something ya could use again. For something like writing on, or stuffing yer clothing for insulation. [...] If it were to get that cold.
And it could. Ya never know what the weather is going to be like.
3rd person sample: There's a storm somewhere out at sea.
At least that's what Norway thought-what he could feel. It was a vague kind of feeling, a pressure that was neither at the back of his head nor under his skin.
But the pressure is there, in both places and more, for sure, because it made him roll over, it made him wake up. And now he can't get back to sleep. Curled up, he waited, but nothing happened. Eventually his legs fell asleep.
So he thought. Anxiety wasn't something he was used to. He has had his army and that was good enough-he could defend himself against Sweden while Denmark struggled, and in general the stresses of the continent never reached him. The scars Norway wears--the deep gashes long since filled with tough, too pale flesh-aren't really his fault because he wasn't the one who lost. Denmark did. The wars were between Denmark and Sweden. But he could live with this latticework on his back, had learned to, because it wasn't really a big deal anyway. He doesn't see it, not unless he looks in a mirror, and he didn't do that often.
Norway, restless yet, rolled over and out of bed. The feeling was still there, forcing a kind of eagerness that Norway couldn't quite ignore. But what was there to do?
He has a thought about something his government was told-Germans moving strangely, a ship was sunk off your coast. This was earlier, when Norway first got this feeling, this thing that started as a dim unease that could've been indigestion. It wasn't his place to do anything about it, because if his bosses weren't worrying, why should he?
And anyway, it wasn't like his position invites an invasion. Maybe Narvik might get conquered, but that wasn't really about him: who didn't want Sweden's ore these days? The feeling he had seemed ominous enough to portend a looming an invasion, not the imminent loss of a port, no matter how important it was.
He was quiet as he left his home for a walk. A way to calm his nerves. Because walking was something he had always liked to do, and the air had always been there for him to breathe. The snow was still on the street because it was April, and the air was as cold and still was any four am morning, but something was off.
When Norway saw it, the feeling hit him finally: in his port was a fleet, quiet and peaceful, only out of place because it was German, welcomed not by a defence but a by a town just as quiet and peaceful.
He was being invaded, he realised. And the rest of his body was tingling.
It's going to ache soon.
Questions?: Nope.
Did you put your characters name and fandom in the subject: Yes, I did. Like a boss.