Application :: AMERICA :: somarium

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[Player name] Raptor
[Age] 19
[Personal Journal] veelociraptor
[Other characters currently played] N/A

[Character name] America (Alfred F. Jones)
[Age] 198 since nationhood, physically 19.
[Canon] Axis Powers Hetalia
[Point in time taken from canon] April 24, 1975, day after Ford declares the Vietnam War over for the US

[Background]
Hetalia Wikia, Wikipedia History, and Vietnam War via Wikipedia

[Personality]

FREEDOM, LIBERTY, and JUSTICE are the three most important things to America. But he is, to put it bluntly, an immature, ignorant loudmouth. Self-indulgent as he is, he likes to eat burgers, amongst everything else he can get his hands on, play baseball, and stick his nose into other countries’ businesses. He’s an ambitious, happy-go-lucky, confident sort of guy with a massive hero complex; he will truly and honestly want to save you with every fiber of his being, expend every resource he can to do so, but he just may not go about it in the most reasonable way possible. His given reasons for doing the things he does usually consist of self-proclaimed heroism and the plight such a hero must take when he puts the world on his shoulders. Otherwise, there’s not much else behind his decisions. He is fueled by a mission, a quest, even, to save the world and all of its inhabitants since he believes that he is the sole person fit for the job. For all his worldly bravado, he doesn’t know where any countries are on a map because he only has maps of America. Heroes just go, in America's viewpoint, they don't need silly things like maps or a decent grasp on what's going on.

America is stuck in a limbo between the spontaneous and rebellious teenager with a poor handle on money, falling into debt without effort, and a responsible adult who, when he focuses his mind and energy on things, can actually prove to be a beneficial ally. He's able to plan strategies, provide financial and/or militaristic help to other nations, and has it in him to lend things to those in need. Granted, his selfish, "my way or the highway" moments a little too often for anyone's liking, and discredit the bouts of maturity he displays with the larger bouts of immaturity. What he says goes, no matter how ridiculous, how unreasonable, and he'll take no objections! Sometimes, the thrill and anticipation of battle overrides the logic he's capable of, and it drives him to seek conflict to prove his global worth. As a colony, he did all he could to prove himself to England, and when the time came to split from his motherland, sought to prove the same to nations across the sea. Becoming a full-fledged nation so young in the timeframe he did required pushing, shoving, and an iron-clad will to survive. In result of this, he feels the need to assert himself and his dominance in all situations; he needs to win, and win at all costs.

He's tactless, borderline offensive most of the time, and this could be blamed on his refusal to read the atmosphere rather than him being incapable due to his young idealism. Saying that he can't is much easier because, idealistically, everything should be displayed as it is without the necessity of having to pick apart the details to find the true meaning; from this, he has the bad habit of choosing one window of opinion to focus on, ignoring all the others even though he's well aware of their existences. This, however, is a development more characteristic of his modern age, rather than how he's always been. In his fight to protect freedom, he tends to close off his openness to the direct opinions of others; the exception appears to be when he's around Lithuania, who's really the only country that generally likes him for who he is and supports him, to whom he opens up to and discusses issues with. America holds Lithuania's opinions highly, especially the ones regarding his growth as a country when he opens up his concerns over becoming an adult.

It should go without saying that America is also competitive, and that's putting it lightly. If one country figures out how to do something, anything, America wants the information, too, and he wants to make it better than the original. He views the world in his capitalist goggles, putting everything into a perspective that dictates power and standing by the cool things you have in your backyard because of all the money you make one-upping those other guys across the ocean. In the more pertinent case of Russia, the Soviet Union in 1975, for example, the nation started exploring space and putting heavy emphasis on education to help it grow. In response to this, America began a space program and enforced higher education nationwide, sparking the beginning of the Space Race of 1952. It was a competition so important it meant the world and everything outside of it to Americans when Lance Armstrong stepped onto the moon in 1969, signaling victory in the final frontier. However, even with his competitive nature and his need to be in the spotlight, if someone else has the attention in a group meeting, he won't make an effort to shine the light back on him; he no longer cares about being the center of attention once it's passed on to another.

America believes in the existence of aliens, houses one named Tony in his home, and is a horror movie/fiction junkie despite the terror he undergoes upon indulging in them. He continuously puts himself through the core of his nightmares with the reason that heroes, like himself, should be able to handle some slasher flicks. As shown in one doodle, America is depicted as a colony-baby reading a horror story with England behind him reminding him that he was told not to do so. In America's attempts to prove himself as a big damn hero, he's even taken his ability to handle horror into account since childhood. He'll pretend not to be scared, for as long as a calm demeanor of his can last, only for him to go home, curl up in bed, and, if he was lucky, pull whoever he could into bed with him to make sure nothing happens while he falls asleep; if said person falls asleep before him, he will throw a fit, and it will be a loud, flailing fit. When he has friends to watch movies with, he has the habit of clinging to them for dear life, screaming at the top of his lungs, reduced to a blubbering goo of terrified. In modern times, this poor soul is typically Japan, as America grows to have a fondness for Japanese horrors. This, in itself, could define his immunity to the horrors of battle, gore, and all the tangible aspects of fear, while he's unprepared for the unseen and suspenseful aspects all together (see: Vietnam).

Nostalgic and sentimental to his core, he has a problem with getting rid of things that remind him of something else. With his insecurity as a nation without as much history as the rest of the world, the things that he can deem historical remnants are of utmost value to him, since the material objects can stand for his history more than the two-hundred years can against a European's hundreds, soon to be thousands. This need to hold onto things is more so of a problem when it comes to objects that remind him of England, as their past is rocky and, to put it simply, tragic in its short-lived way. Having been raised by England, he finds it difficult to let their history go, despite the effort he puts into teasing and tormenting England with his false-ignorance. Certain things that mean something personal to him, as seen in the Storage Room Cleaning strips, are typically taken to a whole new level of secretive hiding. While he can't toss them away, he rarely wants to ever see them, much less others. Lithuania has been the only one to actually come into contact with America's hidden treasures, to which America didn't protest more than informing him that England was on his way and to hide everything.

As innocently sincere as he can be, more often than not as an ulterior motive behind what he does. He's full of good intentions, yet there's always something hiding behind the confident grin and heroic pose. He's not particularly tricky, but he is cunning in the sense that he can lure someone into committing to one thing, only to turn the small favor into a large one. In the comics, it's used mostly on Japan who can't stand up for himself; when America knocks at his door making sad faces and not-asking-but-asking Japan to do something for him, the minute Japan says yes America lands a boat-load of responsibilities that the island nation definitely did not sign up for. He's talented at getting other people to do things for him, which is remarkable considering the general worldwide dislike of him. He won't pay them back for it in a timely manner, if at all, yet this young country ends up getting his way time after time anyway.

America is innovative to the point of intense, imaginative, maddening creativity, always finding a way to make something work somehow, and he's not one to ever give up without a fight. If anything, if he fails the first time he'll just do it ten times better the second time, and not admit that he failed in the first place! His rockets during the Space Race are a good example; many failed, crashed, and possibly exploded before one managed to make it up up and away, but it's not something commonly mentioned off the bat. He's full of good intentions, works hard to spread them around to others he views are in need of his aid, and doesn't often realize that what he thinks is right is necessarily what actually is right. But, then again, America has a history of being torn in the ideologies of "right and wrong," constantly debating within. America is fairly intelligent, no genius by far, but he isn't stupid. He takes time to explore and take ideas from the past to apply them to his future, as seen in his hobby of archeology and past borrowings of Greek civilization. He's paranoid, gets into this mode very easily, and it's difficult to tear him from it, if at all. If he believes with every fiber of his red, white and blue being that communists are going to knock down his door and raid his home with a fleet of brainwashed aliens at their beck and call, then it's practically useless to try to assuage his self-induced nightmare.

For his particular point in time, the paranoia is at its peak. Reflecting his people, he is in a blinding uncertainty in the Cold War that only fogs up more during the Vietnam War, where the reasons for war are beyond understanding. He's confused, at a loss for what to do next, and is awaiting the impending international and national criticism post-withdrawal from war. A considerable blow to his ego has been dealt upon ultimately losing the war, as that means he's failed to assert his dominance over a small nation in the fight against communism, his self-deemed greatest foe. In addition to his war-focused state of mind, he's also in a state of anti-war protesting, which does nothing to clear up the uncertainty surrounding him. One half advocated for war, to go out and rescue the damsel in red-ridden distress, while the other had been begging for the end of it, that it wasn't his war to fight.

Because, after all, America is a strong advocate, sucker, and complete supporter of happy endings.

[Abilities]

☆ Super Strength!
America is equipped with the power to carry buffalo, drag entire tanks behind him for miles, and throw baseballs abnormally fast thanks to his abnormal super strength. It's something that came in the Ameri-package since he was a young colony, but he never directly addresses it. His strength is something he's used to, but doesn't see as something notable; it's something only others take note of, while he just smiles and carries on.

☆ High Pain Tolerance/Near-Immortality
Being a nation, it's very, very hard to actually injure him physically. Being a superpower on top of that, it gives him some extra bulk to get through before any injury worth worrying about gets to him. In canon, it appears that the only way for a a nation to die is either from extreme old age (China excluded, he's an alien), the destruction of all a nation's people and civilization, or when you just don't fit in anymore. That said, it's possible that in nation-land, the only way to kill one is to be one, and have someone take over the land they once represented.

[Other important stuff]

☆ Charlie
From this point in history, America is psychologically a little fucked up. Thinking of it as a toned-down PTSD, since he's not a normal human and has the anti-war movements going on, his grasp on reality can be questionable at times. Usually, it takes triggers to spark the hallucinations typical of soldiers in Vietnam, the usual ones being rain, gunpowder, anything that mimics the sounds and smells of the war experience. Nightmares are also common, and would keep him awake at night from time to time. Since, from his timepoint, the fighting's been done with for a few years, he'll be harder to trigger.

[Sample post]
[First Person]

1. Would you consider yourself a hero or a villain? Why? Neither is an option as well, but still tell why.

I'm a hero, of course! I save people, I fix problems, and I'm putting a stop to Communism! C'mon, who wouldn't call a guy like me a hero? And you can't say Russia or something, he doesn't count, and neither do all those other red-waving commies.

2. Your country is in the middle of a war. What do you think of it? Do you support it or try to solve it yourself by going on an epic quest? Explain.

Oh, wow, heh. I was just in one, actually. [He pauses, taking a breath and really hoping they'll just spontaneously move on.] Well, y'see, if it's for the good of my people, then I fight it, and it's ultimately up to them. Some support war, some don't. That's just the way it is.

3. If you could destroy a city, how would you do it?

I can destroy a city, and I've come to learn that blowing shit up works pretty good. But, let's face it, I'd rather not. That's a lot of people, and not all of them deserve it.

4. Is the best part of waking up having Folger's in your cup?

[He chuckles and finds the saying clever, as he won't hear it until 1980.] Never heard that before, but yeah, sure, why not. A cup of joe's just what anyone needs to get going in the morning.

5. Oh look, there's a double rainbow!

You're kidding me, right? [LOOKS.]

6. How is space?

It's the best thing ever. Have you been to space? No? You should. You should even see what you can do to aid my space program, I'm sure there are a few ways NASA can put you to use. [He says it in jest, grinning all the while.]

[Third Person]

"You know I'm missing a party, right?" America yelled over the thundering rotation of the chopper's blades. The pilot laughed at him from the cockpit, waving his hand at the nation crouching at the open edge.

"Yeah yeah, Alfred, you keep tellin' yourself that." He chuckled at the response and gazed at the jungle beneath them, knowing how the sticky humidity felt on his face, remembering the sweat bead per bead. He felt that it had been only moments ago when Ford announced the US withdrawal from Vietnam, and America had trouble placing the feeling in his gut when he was standing off-stage in New Orleans, listening to his boss word for word.

The pilot grew silent for a moment, then cleared his throat. "But really...why you going back? Heard it's hell in a barrel down there...going back to Charlie by choice, man, what are you thinking?" he called out, circling the landing area. America stared hard down at the terrain below, watching as the trees gave way to the helicopter's forceful winds, knowing that nothing on the Earth could make them bow. He bit the inside of his cheek; he didn't know exactly why he volunteered for this. Down there was a place he couldn't control, no matter how hard he tried. There was a woman he couldn't help, no matter the lives lost or the funds spent, a nation torn into two just as he had been once upon a time, only this time he couldn't dream to fix it. In a way, he felt as if he'd failed.

"Felt like I needed to," he murmured, before responding with a much louder, "I'm the hero, this shit's what I do!"

But it was the brutal truth that she didn't need his help. It was perhaps the reason why he wanted to return, just to make sure, to double check. Things could have changed in a few days, it was the kind of thing that happened from time to time, he knew this.

When they landed, he saw a pretty woman with long black hair standing in the distance, but when he blinked she had vanished. Not even going to tell him bye, the bitch. He unhooked his helmet straps, pulling the heavy headpiece off and shaking his head in attempt to remove the sweat from his hair. With the helmet under his arm, he ventured along the dirt path, eyes darting to catch glimpses of the surrounding vegetation. Even with the short time he had in good ol' American civilization, he could never shake off the feeling of being watched from the shadows, enemies lingering and just waiting to take him and his troops out.

He all but jumped when the commanding officer addressed him, voice bold and thick as the man's neck. "Jones! 'Bout time you showed up. You sure you want to do this boat thing?"

America took a deep breath of wet, hot Vietnamese air and nodded. His glasses were starting to fog up, too. "Someone's gotta make sure you boys don't screw up, yeah?" he said, grinning and clapping the officer's upper arm in a hardy pat. They shared a quick laugh, exchanged a few more words, and America was escorted to the docks. By this point, he'd removed his signature bomber and military jackets, opting for the much cooler and breathable white button-up underneath complete with a loosened tie. "Fuckin' humid, sir." he explained, running a gloved hand through his hair.

"Yeah, but you're the one who offered, sir. Now git goin', there are boys over there waitin' to get back to their mommas."

Plopping down into the boat and giving the officer a thumbs up, America pushed off from the dock, settling his jackets at his feet. He gripped the oars tight, firm, and began the one-man journey down the river.

[Why do you want to play this character in Somarium?] I reeeeally like playing America, and when I was in Somarium last I couldn't stay long (RL issues and such), so I'd like to come back with a character I think would be amazingly fun to play again!
[Which rule was your favorite and why?] "partner/animal pet characters allowed" because, well, I'm a sucker for tiny animal friends and I like that characters can come in and not be "D: wh-what," especially for any Poké-cast that may app in
[Where did you hear about Somarium?] Frands and I used to play here!
[Any questions?] Nope!