App: Guys and Dolls
PLAYER
[journal] honoumiko
[age] January 12, 1987 (24)
[previous characters] Matsuda from Death Note
[character journal] wiener_bonbons
CHARACTER
[series] Hetalia: Axis Powers (and Hetalia: World Series)
[full name] Austria / Republik Österreich / Roderich Edelstein
[age] Born in 976. Appearance is about 25.
[gender] Male
[canon point] Present (2011)
[reference] link
[personality] On the outside, he can come off as a spoiled cat. Proud, bordering on arrogant. No-nonsense, and has a hard time dealing with people who don't get straight to the point. If he's not being (not so subtly) passive-aggressive, he's brutally honest. Quietly witty. Analytical. Has a great heart, but will generally only show it through knowing glances and subtle deeds... at least to those with whom he is not as closely acquainted. If you get close to him, you will see that he is quite an intense person.
He is rather vain. His glasses are purely for aesthetic purposes, and he does not need them to see. His hair naturally falls straight (aside from his single hair curl) but he feels that this does not flatter him as it makes him look too simple.
Frugal as all get-out, but values top quality on the finer things in life - pastry, music, and performance spaces. He saves room for dessert - literally and figuratively. His savory cuisine is quite simple, but he makes fantastic, subtly complex cakes and pastry.
...Under the surface? Enormously passionate. Mostly this manifests itself in his love for music, which is a hell of a lot more than just pretty waltzes. For a good while, his artistic output was so focused on pain, suffering, rebirth through suffering... interestingly enough, this seems to have started in the late nineteenth century, when he was married to Hungary.
Up until his defeat in the Austro-Prussian war, Austria was quite full of himself, although one could easily see why. The Habsburg royalty extended all around the globe; the Spanish Empire was at its height while under Habsburg rule. Early on, not many composers were actually from Austria, but rather, Austria was the center of musical culture in Europe. (Mozart's origins are actually debatable - Salzburg was not yet a part of Austria when he was born, but of Bavaria, and Mozart is said to have considered himself German. Haydn, however, was an Austrian composer through and through.) As time went on, Austria produced more and more composers including such notables as Schubert, Johann Strauss Jr., Bruckner, Mahler, Wolf, Schmidt, Schoenberg, Berg, and Korngold. But it is not so much that Austria had an excess of composers that makes him known for his music - it is because most of Europe's musicians traveled to Austria to make their careers. In short, he was quite popular. His empire grew to be rather immense. But in 1848, Hungary revolted - Austria needed Russia's help to crush the revolution. It was also the year of the first War of Italian Independence. These wars continued through 1866, when Italy allied with Prussia and finally won independence. This occurred at the same time as the Austro-Prussian war, which left Austria with another defeat. The defeats were a huge blow to Austria's ego: he was romantically interested in Hungary, and in Italy's case, he had thought that there was a kinship and bond, especially because of all the music they shared (Italy did, after all, spark the musical passion - Veneziano gave him the violin, harpsichord, piano, and it was even unfashionable in Austria for a time for any opera to be in German, as Italian was the preferred and "more musical" language). Austria was in horrible shape, and needed to figure out a new situation in order to survive. Hungary stepped in to help, and thus the Austro-Hungarian Empire was founded under the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. It was, indeed, just that - a compromise. Deep down, he felt that he did not deserve Hungary's help, especially after hurting her so much in 1848-49. Sentiments were still a bit rough between them leading into the marriage, but the compromise turned out to be the best solution for both of them. Austria was able to survive, and Hungary finally gained her own sovereignty. Both cultures flourished during this union.
The motto of Austria-Hungary was Indivisibiliter ac Inseparabiliter - Indivisibly and Inseparably. Initially, the compromise was set to be in place only until both countries were able to get back on their feet, but it ended up lasting much longer than that. Thus, although they began their marriage hesitantly and for the sake of survival, they developed an intense (if turbulent) relationship with each other. Austria's artistic output underwent a rather drastic change from refined to raw towards the end of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century, in the height of Late Romanticism and into the years of Expressionism. The intense, passionate phase Austria went through while married to Hungary can be heard and seen clearly in music and art of the time. Whether it was directly because of her or not, the fact remains that his time with her paralleled an immense life change, and because of this, he is extremely attached to her still today. (As a not-so-side note, the erotic novel Venus im Pelz by Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch - whose namesake is the term masochism - was published in 1870; the novel ended with a moral stating that women were being mistreated and only allowed to be slaves, and that they could become true companions of men "only when she has the same rights as he and is his equal in education and work." Or, granted sovereignty in a dual monarchy rather than unequal rule, if you happen to be a personified nation. Whatever fits.)
After being defeated again in World War One, Hungary revolted once more in the Aster Revolution, and Austria accepted the coup and her freedom that same day. He was in such bad shape again after the loss that he expected unification with Germany to be almost immediate. But, he went through several short-lived forms of government before the Anschluss in 1938, when Germany annexed Austria. An extremely prevalent sentiment in Austria was that it was an inevitable occurence, and that Austria should be thankful that it did not happen violently. Honestly, it would appear that he went through a period of apathy after Hungary left him - enough so that he nearly did not care about losing his own identity through Germanization.
After World War Two, Austria was occupied by the Allies, and released under the condition that he pledged to permanent neutrality. Austria seems to have welcomed this condition wholeheartedly, as his national holiday celebrates the anniversary of this declaration of neutrality in 1955. It is something that modern, present-day Austria prides himself on greatly. One could say that he made a complete 180 in outlook. Since he is a human personification, however, there's a little bit of a jealous streak left over from the past. He will not complain that Hungary is independent of him now, but it stings if she seems to be casting him off to the side. He still feels an intense need to be important to her. This need to be important to others is rather true in the case of any lands over which he used to have power, but he only feels such romantic insecurity with Hungary.
He is extremely interested in psychology. He loves reading or writing about what makes people tick but feels awkward if he actually has to speak about it, because well, he's a private kind of guy, and one wrong inflection could expose him too much. Freudian slips, and all.
He displays OCD-like traits. He is a bit of a hoarder, hanging on to old belongings and becoming upset if he sees someone else not doing the same (such as the time when he was upset with Germany for throwing out underwear that had a hole in it...). Repetition, structure and symmetry are also all important to him - in music, even after the end of Baroque and Classical eras (which were heavily focused on form), the use of recurring motifs was especially popular in both Germany and Austria. Twelve-tone technique - the method of composition that ensured each note of the scale would be used equally as much as the others - was born in Austria, thanks to the minds of both Schoenberg and Hauer. His need for this sort of evenness also affects him whenever he feels someone has done something wrong, or perhaps more strongly, if he feels he has wronged someone else.
All in all, there is a much darker, analytical (and even intensely sexual) side to Austria than most people seem to realize. Prominent citizens that reflect at least one of these traits include Mahler, Freud, von Sacher-Masoch, Krafft-Ebing, Berg, Schoenberg, Zweig, von Hofmannsthal and Jelinek.
[orientation] Heterosexual - he was married to Hungary from 1867-1918, and continued to express affection to her even after that. Otherwise, unknown.
[appearance] Nothing out of the ordinary except for that mole on the lower left side of his mouth... Himaruya noted that it's an erogenous zone. (His hair curl, Mariazell, doesn't act as much other than a sort of whisker or tail, in that it's sensitive and painful when pulled, but doesn't act as an erogenous zone like North or South Italy's hair curls do.)
[wish] To communicate his deepest emotions without pretense. He does this with music, but freezes up when trying to do so verbally. He has always taken a sort of fascination with those who wear their hearts on their sleeves. Between his marriage to Hungary and his long-time friendship/partnership with Spain during the Habsburg era, it is clear that he is drawn to people who do this easily.
[requested house] Youfuu Household
[misc notes] N/A
SAMPLES
[prose log]
As much as Roderich tended to close himself off indoors before he arrived at this place, practicing for hours and hours on end and recalling the sounds of the past, it was good to get out for a change. He couldn't go wrong as long as he was allowed to relax with his coffee at the inn. Einspänner, as usual; the whipped cream at the top kept it warm long enough for him to read, write, or do whatever struck his fancy, and it provided just a hint of sweet mellowness to calm those distinctive, bold, dark and bitter flavors.
He truly, wholeheartedly enjoyed such time to himself. And not just because it was traditional, something familiar from the past that he could always escape to in the middle of an unfamiliar place such as this. But because it was just the opposite - it was somewhere he could look to the future, allow his thoughts to run wild. He could let outrageous theories and fancies course through his mind and leave him through the tip of his pen, in written word or written sound. Perhaps that was an advantage to being trapped here - he could not so easily fall back on what he already knew, nor could he easily relive the past. He could only innovate and be inspired, and it saddened him that he'd forgotten how much he loved doing just that.
[smut drabble]
When Roderich thought about it, he wouldn't have it any other way. After all they'd been through, how much he'd hurt her and how much he didn't deserve to be given the mercy of their marriage to allow him to survive, he couldn't bear to take control on their wedding night. He would plead for her, yes; silent and terrified, he lay on his back and clawed at her curves with clammy, virginal palms, needing to finally give himself to her fully. Trembling, he gave a soft cry of sweet relief and thirst as she lowered herself on his length.
"Lizchen..." he murmured, feeling unworthy. The pet name at once lost all tones of condescension it had in the past, gaining instead bittersweet affection and unadulterated lust. He gave his first thrust, gasping at the sensation, first clenching his eyes shut only to open them and look at her, full of wonder. He'd hoped that he could hide the fact that it was his first time - first real time, no fooling around halfway, no forced contact - but he was beginning to realize it was probably obvious. His breath was shallow and nervous, and he lay in awe of just how impossible it was to maintain control or keep his emotions in check, something he was normally so skilled at. And as she rested her hands on his shoulders to support herself, he placed his own hands over hers, pressing her fingers into his skin until it hurt him, until he was sure that she would continue to pin him down thus for the rest of the night.
"Bitte..."
At last, he became aware of just why he was so bent on keeping her for himself; truth be told, he needed her.
[journal] honoumiko
[age] January 12, 1987 (24)
[previous characters] Matsuda from Death Note
[character journal] wiener_bonbons
CHARACTER
[series] Hetalia: Axis Powers (and Hetalia: World Series)
[full name] Austria / Republik Österreich / Roderich Edelstein
[age] Born in 976. Appearance is about 25.
[gender] Male
[canon point] Present (2011)
[reference] link
[personality] On the outside, he can come off as a spoiled cat. Proud, bordering on arrogant. No-nonsense, and has a hard time dealing with people who don't get straight to the point. If he's not being (not so subtly) passive-aggressive, he's brutally honest. Quietly witty. Analytical. Has a great heart, but will generally only show it through knowing glances and subtle deeds... at least to those with whom he is not as closely acquainted. If you get close to him, you will see that he is quite an intense person.
He is rather vain. His glasses are purely for aesthetic purposes, and he does not need them to see. His hair naturally falls straight (aside from his single hair curl) but he feels that this does not flatter him as it makes him look too simple.
Frugal as all get-out, but values top quality on the finer things in life - pastry, music, and performance spaces. He saves room for dessert - literally and figuratively. His savory cuisine is quite simple, but he makes fantastic, subtly complex cakes and pastry.
...Under the surface? Enormously passionate. Mostly this manifests itself in his love for music, which is a hell of a lot more than just pretty waltzes. For a good while, his artistic output was so focused on pain, suffering, rebirth through suffering... interestingly enough, this seems to have started in the late nineteenth century, when he was married to Hungary.
Up until his defeat in the Austro-Prussian war, Austria was quite full of himself, although one could easily see why. The Habsburg royalty extended all around the globe; the Spanish Empire was at its height while under Habsburg rule. Early on, not many composers were actually from Austria, but rather, Austria was the center of musical culture in Europe. (Mozart's origins are actually debatable - Salzburg was not yet a part of Austria when he was born, but of Bavaria, and Mozart is said to have considered himself German. Haydn, however, was an Austrian composer through and through.) As time went on, Austria produced more and more composers including such notables as Schubert, Johann Strauss Jr., Bruckner, Mahler, Wolf, Schmidt, Schoenberg, Berg, and Korngold. But it is not so much that Austria had an excess of composers that makes him known for his music - it is because most of Europe's musicians traveled to Austria to make their careers. In short, he was quite popular. His empire grew to be rather immense. But in 1848, Hungary revolted - Austria needed Russia's help to crush the revolution. It was also the year of the first War of Italian Independence. These wars continued through 1866, when Italy allied with Prussia and finally won independence. This occurred at the same time as the Austro-Prussian war, which left Austria with another defeat. The defeats were a huge blow to Austria's ego: he was romantically interested in Hungary, and in Italy's case, he had thought that there was a kinship and bond, especially because of all the music they shared (Italy did, after all, spark the musical passion - Veneziano gave him the violin, harpsichord, piano, and it was even unfashionable in Austria for a time for any opera to be in German, as Italian was the preferred and "more musical" language). Austria was in horrible shape, and needed to figure out a new situation in order to survive. Hungary stepped in to help, and thus the Austro-Hungarian Empire was founded under the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. It was, indeed, just that - a compromise. Deep down, he felt that he did not deserve Hungary's help, especially after hurting her so much in 1848-49. Sentiments were still a bit rough between them leading into the marriage, but the compromise turned out to be the best solution for both of them. Austria was able to survive, and Hungary finally gained her own sovereignty. Both cultures flourished during this union.
The motto of Austria-Hungary was Indivisibiliter ac Inseparabiliter - Indivisibly and Inseparably. Initially, the compromise was set to be in place only until both countries were able to get back on their feet, but it ended up lasting much longer than that. Thus, although they began their marriage hesitantly and for the sake of survival, they developed an intense (if turbulent) relationship with each other. Austria's artistic output underwent a rather drastic change from refined to raw towards the end of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century, in the height of Late Romanticism and into the years of Expressionism. The intense, passionate phase Austria went through while married to Hungary can be heard and seen clearly in music and art of the time. Whether it was directly because of her or not, the fact remains that his time with her paralleled an immense life change, and because of this, he is extremely attached to her still today. (As a not-so-side note, the erotic novel Venus im Pelz by Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch - whose namesake is the term masochism - was published in 1870; the novel ended with a moral stating that women were being mistreated and only allowed to be slaves, and that they could become true companions of men "only when she has the same rights as he and is his equal in education and work." Or, granted sovereignty in a dual monarchy rather than unequal rule, if you happen to be a personified nation. Whatever fits.)
After being defeated again in World War One, Hungary revolted once more in the Aster Revolution, and Austria accepted the coup and her freedom that same day. He was in such bad shape again after the loss that he expected unification with Germany to be almost immediate. But, he went through several short-lived forms of government before the Anschluss in 1938, when Germany annexed Austria. An extremely prevalent sentiment in Austria was that it was an inevitable occurence, and that Austria should be thankful that it did not happen violently. Honestly, it would appear that he went through a period of apathy after Hungary left him - enough so that he nearly did not care about losing his own identity through Germanization.
After World War Two, Austria was occupied by the Allies, and released under the condition that he pledged to permanent neutrality. Austria seems to have welcomed this condition wholeheartedly, as his national holiday celebrates the anniversary of this declaration of neutrality in 1955. It is something that modern, present-day Austria prides himself on greatly. One could say that he made a complete 180 in outlook. Since he is a human personification, however, there's a little bit of a jealous streak left over from the past. He will not complain that Hungary is independent of him now, but it stings if she seems to be casting him off to the side. He still feels an intense need to be important to her. This need to be important to others is rather true in the case of any lands over which he used to have power, but he only feels such romantic insecurity with Hungary.
He is extremely interested in psychology. He loves reading or writing about what makes people tick but feels awkward if he actually has to speak about it, because well, he's a private kind of guy, and one wrong inflection could expose him too much. Freudian slips, and all.
He displays OCD-like traits. He is a bit of a hoarder, hanging on to old belongings and becoming upset if he sees someone else not doing the same (such as the time when he was upset with Germany for throwing out underwear that had a hole in it...). Repetition, structure and symmetry are also all important to him - in music, even after the end of Baroque and Classical eras (which were heavily focused on form), the use of recurring motifs was especially popular in both Germany and Austria. Twelve-tone technique - the method of composition that ensured each note of the scale would be used equally as much as the others - was born in Austria, thanks to the minds of both Schoenberg and Hauer. His need for this sort of evenness also affects him whenever he feels someone has done something wrong, or perhaps more strongly, if he feels he has wronged someone else.
All in all, there is a much darker, analytical (and even intensely sexual) side to Austria than most people seem to realize. Prominent citizens that reflect at least one of these traits include Mahler, Freud, von Sacher-Masoch, Krafft-Ebing, Berg, Schoenberg, Zweig, von Hofmannsthal and Jelinek.
[orientation] Heterosexual - he was married to Hungary from 1867-1918, and continued to express affection to her even after that. Otherwise, unknown.
[appearance] Nothing out of the ordinary except for that mole on the lower left side of his mouth... Himaruya noted that it's an erogenous zone. (His hair curl, Mariazell, doesn't act as much other than a sort of whisker or tail, in that it's sensitive and painful when pulled, but doesn't act as an erogenous zone like North or South Italy's hair curls do.)
[wish] To communicate his deepest emotions without pretense. He does this with music, but freezes up when trying to do so verbally. He has always taken a sort of fascination with those who wear their hearts on their sleeves. Between his marriage to Hungary and his long-time friendship/partnership with Spain during the Habsburg era, it is clear that he is drawn to people who do this easily.
[requested house] Youfuu Household
[misc notes] N/A
SAMPLES
[prose log]
As much as Roderich tended to close himself off indoors before he arrived at this place, practicing for hours and hours on end and recalling the sounds of the past, it was good to get out for a change. He couldn't go wrong as long as he was allowed to relax with his coffee at the inn. Einspänner, as usual; the whipped cream at the top kept it warm long enough for him to read, write, or do whatever struck his fancy, and it provided just a hint of sweet mellowness to calm those distinctive, bold, dark and bitter flavors.
He truly, wholeheartedly enjoyed such time to himself. And not just because it was traditional, something familiar from the past that he could always escape to in the middle of an unfamiliar place such as this. But because it was just the opposite - it was somewhere he could look to the future, allow his thoughts to run wild. He could let outrageous theories and fancies course through his mind and leave him through the tip of his pen, in written word or written sound. Perhaps that was an advantage to being trapped here - he could not so easily fall back on what he already knew, nor could he easily relive the past. He could only innovate and be inspired, and it saddened him that he'd forgotten how much he loved doing just that.
[smut drabble]
When Roderich thought about it, he wouldn't have it any other way. After all they'd been through, how much he'd hurt her and how much he didn't deserve to be given the mercy of their marriage to allow him to survive, he couldn't bear to take control on their wedding night. He would plead for her, yes; silent and terrified, he lay on his back and clawed at her curves with clammy, virginal palms, needing to finally give himself to her fully. Trembling, he gave a soft cry of sweet relief and thirst as she lowered herself on his length.
"Lizchen..." he murmured, feeling unworthy. The pet name at once lost all tones of condescension it had in the past, gaining instead bittersweet affection and unadulterated lust. He gave his first thrust, gasping at the sensation, first clenching his eyes shut only to open them and look at her, full of wonder. He'd hoped that he could hide the fact that it was his first time - first real time, no fooling around halfway, no forced contact - but he was beginning to realize it was probably obvious. His breath was shallow and nervous, and he lay in awe of just how impossible it was to maintain control or keep his emotions in check, something he was normally so skilled at. And as she rested her hands on his shoulders to support herself, he placed his own hands over hers, pressing her fingers into his skin until it hurt him, until he was sure that she would continue to pin him down thus for the rest of the night.
"Bitte..."
At last, he became aware of just why he was so bent on keeping her for himself; truth be told, he needed her.