Post by kit on Aug 4, 2010 0:19:13 GMT -5
(((My Reflection)))
Nation: Kongeriget Danmark
Name: Mathias Køhler
Gender: Male
Appearance Age: 24
Hair Color: Blond
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 182 lbs
Appearance:
Eldest and second tallest of the Nordic five, Mathias proudly stands at 6'1". Blond haired, blue eyed, pale skinned, and tall, he's the epitome of the standard Scandinavian appearance-wise. He's mostly lean muscle in the modern age, healthy and well fed, and he can almost always be found with an easy smile on his face.
Mathias likes to dress comfortably, and surprisingly conservatively, but not without style. He adores heavy layers and has massed a collection of at least a dozen long overcoats and jackets. He prefers long-sleeved clothing above anything else, and has a fair amount of nice shirts. More often than not, however, he can be found wearing a tee over a long-sleeved shirt or sweatshirt over simple jeans. He also used to wear this one hat all the time, but it's fallen out of fashion with the ages so he doesn't bother with it anymore.
Besides clothing, Mathias doesn't put a lot of effort into his appearance. He'll run a hand and gel through his bangs to keep them out of his face most mornings, and showers regularly to keep clean, and that's really about it.
(((Know Thy self)))
Personality:
Mathias is probably one of the happiest people in the world, which mirrors the modern state of his nation. He loves to joke around and share drinks with friends, and occasionally fool around a bit with the local youth. He's also friendly and easy-going and kind of air-headed. Mathias is always looking towards the bright side of everything, and is therefore a hopeless optimist - so much that he's optimistic to the point of stupidity sometimes.
But being happy doesn't mean he's never sad either. Denmark's been through some pretty painful periods and Mathias still finds himself unwillingly remembering the past with a bottle of hard liquor in a house that's much too big for just one person sometimes. And he never forgets, but he easily forgives, which is enough to keep him happy most of the time. He has, however, become hesitant to trust too easily and it shows in his policy making.
Behind his cheery outgoing persona is a stubbornness that makes him difficult to get along with a lot of the time, and he can definitely come off a little too strong. He also sometimes has problems with seeing things from others' perspectives as a result of his stubbornness and this gets him into trouble - some with more severe consequences than others. Nevertheless, he has good intentions at heart, and is extremely reliable both as a pillar of support in times of need. Being one of the oldest constitutions in existence, Denmark can actually be very mature in this day and age, but that's a side that he rarely shows to the outside world.
And speaking of pillar of support, Mathias is a family man. He's always wanted a family of his own, and he had a promising one under the Kalmar Union. However, as all good things must come to an end, that had ended over five hundred years ago.
A progressive nation, Mathias is extremely tolerant of different opinions and trying new things. In fact, he's tolerant of pretty much anything nowadays. Nevertheless, he absolutely will not tolerate disrespect to himself or his people, or anyone who tries to hurt anything he wants to protect.
Likes:
★ Hygge
★ Vikings
★ Hans Christian Anderson
★ Norse mythology
★ Alcohol
★ Spontaniety
★ Happiness
★ High quality of life
★ Norge, Sverige, Island, Finland
★ Family
★ Danish food
★ Football
★ Helping people
★ ...a lot of other things and people.
Dislikes:
✖ Sverige (It's complicated.)
✖ Threats
✖ Being ignored
✖ Being alone
✖ Pollution
✖ Sadness
✖ Complications
✖ Nazis
✖ Prussia (See secrets.)
✖ Hating on anybody
Fears:
☣ Being on the losing side of wars
☣ Loving too easily
☣ Betrayal
Secrets:
♦ Mathias rarely ever cries in public. He's never cried during times of pain or hardships, and the only times he's ever cried in front of his people were when Frederich IX and Margaretha I died. He's also cried when the Kalmar Union disbanded, when Norway left him, for Sweden of all things, and when he lost Schleswig-Holstein to Prussia. And okay, so maybe he's also shed a tear or two for his most patriotic citizens when it came time for them to pass, but that's it.
♦ He's terrified of Prussia, and severely dislikes Austria. The loss of Schleswig-Holstein to the German-speaking nations traumatized him for life and is the reason why he changed his stance on neutrality after WWII.
♦ He's kind of a masochist. And he knows it. It's the only reason he can think of for why he keeps falling for people like Norge, or Sverige in the past, or even Netherlands (but that was ancient history).
♦ His relatively short lived marriage to England was pure politics and caustic humor. No real sentiment involved, at least not on his part. (And hey! He got a Shakespearean story out of it. Pretty cool, huh?)
Strengths:
Denmark's greatest strength is his heart. As odd as it sounds, he strongly believes in hygge, which translates literally into 'coziness' and means 'tranquility', and it's been a part of his culturefor as long as he can remember. He's so good at blocking out and getting rid of bad emotions, and focusing on more positive ones, that he can manage through any kind of hardship and come out changed for the better.
On another note, he's pretty good at being really random and coming up with something unwittingly amazingly on rare occasion. Also, in his youth, he kicked ass militarily, so he used to be really physically strong and go-get-em' but he's mellowed out a lot since then.
Weaknesses:
Denmark has a hard time handling negative emotions. He always ends up bottling everything up and suffering in silence until he reaches a breaking point. He then either goes into a blind destructive fury or suffers a complete breakdown - sometimes both, one after the other.
He also tries hard to hide the fact that he's really a nervous wreck and not nearly as confident as he looks when dealing with possibly romantic relations with other nations.
Although once a powerful empire, Denmark's military strength has severely been declining since the late 1600's and he's also just not as important on the global scale anymore. He sometimes has a hard time dealing with that fact, but mostly chooses to avoid thinking about it because it brings him down.
(((The Pages of History)))
History:
500 - First Danes arrive from Sweden
690 - English missionaries enter Denmark
700 - King Ongendus rules Denmark
800 - King Godfred and forces attack the Franks
810 - King Godfred is murdered
826 - Harald Klak converts Denmark to Christianity
827 - Horik I, son of Godfred, rules Denmark
831 - Viking forces invade Ireland
832~842 - Viking raids continue in western Europe
864 - Danes invade East Anglia
874 - Iceland settled by Vikings
885 - Vikings raid Paris, France
910 - Harald I (Bluetooth) son of Gorm the Old conquers all of Denmark
1013 - Svend Forkbeard (Svend I) conquers England
1016 - King Canute defeats the English
1028 - King Canute is declared ruler of Denmark, England and Norway
1035 - King Canute dies
1060 - Svend II forms Danish church
1157 - Valdemar I defeats Sven on Grate Hede in the Danish civil war, and is crowned King of Denmark
1169 - King Canute VI conquers Arkona
1219 - Valdemar II conquers Estonia
1241 - Valdemar II dies, kingdom dissolves
1340 - Valdemar IV crowned King of Denmark
1350 - Plague ravished Denmark and Sweden
1361 - Hanseatic league forces defeat Valdemar IV
1375 - Valdemar IV dies, Oluf assumes throne
1388 - Margrete crowned Queen of Denmark and Norway, and later Sweden
1397 - [KU] The Kalmar Union unites Denmark, Sweden and Norway
1445 - [KU] Copenhagen declared capital city
1448 - [KU] Disagreements over who should be the new King after Christoffer the Third's death, leads to war between Denmark and Sweden
1520 - [KU] A Danish army defeats a Swedish peasant army at Uppsala and occupies Stockholm
1471 - [KU] In the Battle of Brunkeberg, the Danes suffer complete defeat at the hands of the Swedish
1521 - [KU] Danish King Christian II deposed
1523 - Kalmar Union officially dissolved (And Denmark is royally pissed at Sweden for the next four hundred years)
1534~1536 - War with Lübeck and 'The Counts Feud' (Danish civil war)
1536 - King Christian III rules Denmark, Denmark adopts Lutheranism as state religion, Denmark also enters into personal union with Norway to form Denmark-Norway which had a single monarch under the Danish flag
1564 - Denmark and Sweden seven-year war begins
1611 - Sweden defeats Denmark in Kalmar War
1626 - Danish army defeated in Thirty Years' War
1642 - Sweden invades due to dispute over dominance of the Øresund, and dissent over the Øresund toll
1645 - Denmark and Sweden conclude peace in Brømsebro. Denmark is forced to hand over Gotland, Øsel and Halland (South Sweden) as well as the Norwegian province Jemtland
1657 - Frederick III declares war on Sweden but the Danish army is crushed; Scania, Blekinge, Halland, Bohuslän, Bornholm and Trøndelag becomes Swedish territories
1699 - Frederik IV crowned King of Denmark
1729 - Greenland becomes Danish province
1807 - Britain attacks, steals Danish fleet
1814 - Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden
1849 - Became constitutional monarchy
1914 - [WWI] Declared neutrality
1930's - Welfare state established
1940 - [WWII] Germany invades Denmark
1943 - [WWII] Danish Jews escape to Sweden
1945 - [WWII] Germany surrenders, Iceland gains its independence from Denmark
1948 - Faroe Islands granted self-government (and moves out of the house)
1949 - Denmark joins NATO
1952 - Denmark forms Nordic Council
1972 - King Frederick IX dies, his daughter, Margrethe II, is crowned queen
1973 - Joined the EU
1979 - Greenland granted home rule (and moves out of the house)
1985 - Nuclear power plants approved
1992 - Danish voters reject Maastricht Treaty
2000 - Denmark rejects EURO as his currency, Øresund Bridge opens
Allies:
Modern day Denmark is allied with NATO, the United Nations, and the rest of the EU, although he's rather hesitant to get too involved with random wars, and leans more towards neutrality than anything else. He has allies and friends all over the world, but is mostly really involved with the other Nordic nations and the Baltics.
793 – 1050 :: The Viking Age
Other Scandinavian/Nordic vikings and sometimes England.
War against The Netherlands 1542 – 1543
France
1563 – 1570 :: 7-Year War
Lübeck, Poland-Lithuania
1611 – 1613 :: Kalmar War
Norway
1618 – 1648 :: 30 Year War
(1618-1642) United Provinces, Sweden, Bohemia, Norway, France, Saxony, Electoral Palatinate, Brunswick-Lüneburg, England, Brandenburg-Prussia, Transylvania, the Ottoman Empire, and minor others
(1643-1645) Holy Roman Empire (including Austria, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Kingdom of Croatia, Bavaria, and the Catholic League), Spain (and all of his colonies)
1643 – 1645 :: Thorsteinson War
Norway, Holy Roman Empire
1657 – 1660 :: Northern Wars (Carl Gustav Krigene)
Dano-Swedish War (1657-1658) : Norway
The Livonian War (1558–1583) : Livonian Confederation, Norway, Sweden, Poland-Lithuania
Nordic Seven Years' War (1563-1570) : Norway, Lübeck, Poland-Lithuania
The Second Northern War (1655–1660) : Norway, Habsburg monarchy, Poland-Lithuania, Russia, Brandenburg-Prussia, Dutch Republic
1674–1679 :: The Scanian War
Norway, United Provinces, Brandenburg, Holy Roman Empire, Spain
1700, 1709-1721 :: The Third Great Northern War (1700-1721)
Tsardom of Russia, Norway, Electorate of Saxony (1700, 1709-), Poland-Lithuania(1700, 1709-), Cossack Hetmanate (1700), Prussia (1715-), Hanover (1715-), Great Britain (1717-)
1788 :: Russo-Swedish War
Norway, Russia
1800 – 1813 :: Napoleonic Wars (Napeoleonskrigene)
French Empire, Holland, Italy, Etruria, Swiss Confederation, Naples, Duchy of Warsaw, Confederation of the Rhine (including Bavaria, Saxony, Westphalia, and Württemberg), Norway, Ottoman Empire
1807 – 1814 :: Gunboat War (Kanonbådskrigen)
Norway
Enemies:
793 – 1050 The Viking Age
Other Scandinavian/Nordic vikings and sometimes England.
1434 – 1523 :: Union wars
Sweden
1542 – 1543 :: War against The Netherlands
Netherlands, Germany
1563 – 1570 :: 7-Year War
Sweden
1611 – 1613 :: Kalmar War
Sweden
1618 – 1648 :: 30 Year War
(1618-1642) Holy Roman Empire (including Austria, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Kingdom of Croatia, Bavaria, and the Catholic League), Spain (and all of his colonies)
(1643-1645) United Provinces, Sweden, Bohemia, Norway, France, Saxony, Electoral Palatinate, Brunswick-Lüneburg, England, Brandenburg-Prussia, Transylvania, the Ottoman Empire, and minor others
1643 – 1645 :: Thorsteinson War
Sweden, Dutch Republic
1657 – 1660 :: Northern Wars (Carl Gustav Krigene)
Dano-Swedish War (1657-1658) : Sweden
The Livonian War (1558–1583) : Russia, Kingdom of Livonia
Nordic Seven Years' War (1563-1570) : Sweden
The Second Northern War (1655–1660) : Sweden, Brandenburg-Prussia, Transylvania
1674–1679 :: The Scanian War
Swedish Empire, France
1700, 1709-1721 :: The Third Great Northern War (1700-1721)
Swedish Empire, Holstein-Gottorp, Poland-Lithuania (1709), Ottoman Empire (1710-1714), Cossack Hetmanate (1709)
1788 :: Russo-Swedish War
Sweden
1800 – 1813 :: Napoleonic Wars (Napeoleonskrigene)
Austrian Empire, Russian Empire, Prussia, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Sicily, Papal States, Sardinia, Sweden, United Netherlands, Duchy of Brunswick, French Royalists, Electorate of Hanover, Nassau
1807 – 1814 :: Gunboat War (Kanonbådskrigen)
Someone that's not Sweden?!? Er, I mean, United Kingdom
1848 – 1850 :: First War of Schleswig (Treårskrigen / Første Slesvigske Krig)
Prussia (and the province of Schlewsig-Holstein), German Empire
1864 :: Second War of Schleswig (Krigen i 1864 / Anden Slesvigske Krig)
German Confederation (including the Austrian Empire, and the Kingdom of Prussia)
1940 – 1945 :: German Occupation (Den tyske besættelse)
Nazi Germany and all his allies
(Good lord Denmark's had a lot of fights with Sweden.)
Sample Post:
Mathias walked slowly along the Danish shoreline, a two days walk to Odense, and from there it was five days to Fyn, and two more until Vissenbjerg.
A sudden splash in the distance catches his eye, and he heard someone, or some thing wailing. Mathias broke into a run, and used one hand to reach back and grab Skadi's handle, just in case.
He stopped at the edge of the water, as close to the - what was that? She looked like a normal young human lady, except for the fact that there were gleaming scales crawling up the bare expanse of her stomach and breasts, and a dark and very obvious shark fin protruding from her back. It didn't appear to be hurting her, at least.
Another splash and wail redirected Mathias's attention to what appeared to be a harpoon imbedded in the lower half of her body - which was apparently identical to the tail-half of a gray shark.
"A mermaid?" He whispered to himself. "Can't be, no way!"
But a shark-damsel in distress was still a damsel in distress, and he quickly made a decision. He carefully discarded most of his weapons and shoes on the sand, away from the rising tide, and waded into the freezing water, towards the mer-maiden.
"Hey! Hey, woah! Need some help there?" He shouted, and put his hands up in a display of peace when she finally noticed him. She glared at him, slitted gray eyes assessing his intentions as he drew closer.
She had let him within a foot of herself before splashing him with icy water, and opened her mouth to make angry clicking sounds.
Mathias frowned, and shivered in the wet cold, and asked, "Hey, can you speak Danish? Because I can't understand you here. I want to help you though. Help!" He emphasized 'help' even though she probably couldn't understand him anyway, and he was pleasantly surprised when she appeared to mull over the word, and managed out a poorly accented, "...help?"
His frown vanished into a wide grin, and he gestured at the harpoon. "Yeah, help! You'd like that out right?"
The mer-shark followed his gaze to the harpoon in her tail, and narrowed her eyes, clicking at him some more. "Out." She finally repeated, and watched cautiously as he approached the last few steps to her person.
"This is going to hurt a bit, sorry!" And he silently apologized again when he figured the best way to do this, would be fast and probably very painful. The harpoon was jagged-edged, and there was simply no slow and painless way to draw it out. He grabbed a portion of the shaft with both hands, and jerked the whole thing out in one swift movement, and she writhed and let out that high pitched wailing sound again. Her body spasmed, and she struggled against nothing for a while, until she seemed to realize that he was holding the harpoon, and that it wasn't in her tail any longer. The wound trailed purple blood into the water, but Mathias figured she would be okay.
He smiled happily at her, and was rewarded by a loud, wet slap to the face as she whipped his tail around and hit him. He promptly dropped the harpoon into the water, where it was washed away by the next flow and ebb of tide.
"H-Hey! You're supposed to say, 'thanks' you know. That's no way to treat someone who's trying to help you!" He sputtered at her, but he couldn't stay angry after he realized she was kind of giggling.
"Thanks." She repeated at him, and blew a sloppy, wet kiss, before diving back into the water. He watched the water ripple a jagged path to the horizon, until all Mathias could see was an ominous fin disappearing into the foggy distance.
He wasn't too concerned with the fast departure, and went back to shore to dry himself off. Mermaids, huh? He thought to himself. Hans Christian Anderson was a freakin' genius. It was a reminder that his land and people were all amazing, and he eventually set off back on the road with a proud smile on his face.
(This is from a fantasy-rp, so don't worry. There definitely won't be any mermaids on this board.
Did you read the rules and Dark Reflections Canon Denmark can't answer this question right now because he's in Sicily trying strange foods like pizza and Italian pasta.
Random fun fact about yourself: I like to reread my own posts, and add to/edit them. Like, I'll probably randomly update this app even if it gets accepted like this, just because I can. Ahaha. OTL
