Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 2, 2014 12:25:37 GMT
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The Basics
Name: Alfred Franklin Jones
Nickname/Other names: Al, Alfie, Fred, Freddie, America, any derivatives thereof. =P
Gender: Male
Age: Physically 19, actually 400+
Hometown: America, World
Canon: Hetalia
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The Outside and the In
Face Claim/PB
Austin Butler (Penny gave me permission to use him and her pictures for him ^^)
Appearance:
Alfred is someone who demands your attention, though not so much because of what he looks like. His looks are actually rather average. He's moderately tall, standing at 177cm (which he rounds up to 5'10", because he never really got the hang of that whole metric thing). Though he frets over his weight, he's actually pretty fit, most of his so-called 'excess weight' actually going toward muscle. This isn't to say that his diet hasn't affected him at all - He does have a little pudge around the middle, though it's nothing too terrible. Besides, if it was really bad, wouldn't you think he'd put a little more effort into watching what he ate? He wears glasses as well.
What draws people's attention to him is the atmosphere that surrounds him. He holds himself with confidence (whether he's actually feeling confident or not). He nearly always has some sort of grin on his face, accentuating just how youthful his features actually are.
Personality:
Hero complex - Probably one of the FIRST things you'll note about Alfred is his glaring hero complex. Alfred feels that it is his duty to save the world from evil-doers and commies. And dictatorships. And people who wear white after Labor Day. The inherent problem with this is the fact that he fails to understand when people actually want his help and when he's simply poking his nose where it doesn't belong. He just knows that whenever there's a problem, he wants to help, and he doesn't understand why anyone wouldn't want his help. His intentions are good, but his actions don't always convey this. He has an obsession with superheroes otherwise as well. He introduced the idea of a superhero named Globa Man to combat global warming at a world conference (where they'd actually FIND such a superhero was a detail that he'd overlooked), and remains convinced that Captain America is actually based off of him.
Childish - Alfred at many times seems like an overgrown child - and to some extent, that is exactly what he IS. In human terms, he's old, but in terms of his kind, he's pretty darn young. This wasn't aided by a certain growth spurt in his youth that didn't allow him the time to grow up the way most of his kind would.
Materialistic - Alfred loves things. He loves to follow all of the latest trends, but doesn't mind getting caught up in a bit of nostalgia too at times. He's amassed various collections over the years. He has quite an impressive stamp collection (probably owing to the fact that he was around when stamps were first introduced). He also collects state quarters (now including American territories!). It also must be noted that every time a new I-phone comes out, Alfred tries to be one of the first in line to get it. He hates to have any of his electronics "out of style".
Impulsive - Acting without thinking? Well that describes Alfred pretty well, doesn't it? It's not that he doesn't think, it's just that the thinking tends to come after the acting. Alfred is very excitable when he gets an idea in his head, which usually results in a 'do now, think later' sort of attitude. Which is great when it actually works out, but often times causes more harm than it does good. It's one thing when you jump into making the next I-phone purchase, but another when your boss tells you there's weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and you decide to jump the gun and invade them rather than double check first. He's still reeling from that one. Oopsie.
Bossy - Alfred likes to be in the driver's seat whenever anything is going on. Unfortunately, as with many other things, he often doesn't take others' opinions into consideration.
Optimistic - One of Alfred's better qualities is his ability to look at the glass half full. If, for example, the Allies were on the edge of a crushing defeat in World War II, he'd probably be the one trying to get everyone to keep going. It's not always a realistic attitude, mind, but at least he's not liable to give up easily. Even he has his limits, though, and the flip-side of this is that, if he DOES happen to shift to a pessimistic viewpoint on something, it's difficult as hell to get him out of his funk.
Insecure - And that brings us to his insecurity. Say whaaaaa? Mr. I'm-The-Hero actually has insecurities? Well, duh. He's one of the youngest, if not the youngest, of the 'World 8', and he feels like he has some hella big shoes to fill. Some of his attitude is pure obnoxiousness, but beneath that obnoxiousness is a healthy dose of bravado. He lacks the experience that plenty of the older nations have, and therefore has to wing a lot of what he's doing even to this day. Al's superhero obsession has led him to the phrase 'with great power comes great responsibility', but can he handle that responsibility? It's normal not an issue, but there are times when it's more of a struggle.
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Right Up to that Key Moment
History:
Not much is known about Alfred before Sweden and Finland first saw him watching them. Realizing that he'd been spotted, the strange little boy fled before Sweden (Berwald) and Finland (Tino) could say anything to the boy.
On a later date, Tino was discussing the event with England (Arthur) and France (Francis). The three began to wonder if the little boy was perhaps an entity like them. Finding the little boy once more, it was discerned that he had the same 'feeling', and that he was indeed like them. Thus began the quest to make little Alfred, soon to be known as America, their 'little brother'.
Tino and Berwald were knocked out of the running quickly, but Francis and Arthur continued to fight over Alfred fiercely. In the end, the two decided to let Alfred decide for himself. Arthur's speech for Alfred, delivered in a creepy tone, only succeeded in driving Alfred to tears (scaring Francis as well). Francis, meanwhile, offered expensive French cuisine to Alfred. Arthur turned to his men and asked if they had anything to offer, the men shaking their heads. It very much looked as though Francis won, especially as Alfred toddled happily over to Francis, but the toddler paused halfway when he saw a depressed looking Arthur slumped on the ground. He changed course and went for Arthur instead, approaching the blonde and asking if he was alright. And thus, much to the chagrin of Francis, Alfred became Arthur's little brother.
As Alfred fell asleep, Arthur vowed to protect Alfred from any harm that might come to him in such a large land. Alfred startled awake and spotted a buffalo, approaching it with childish abandon. Arthur shouted after him, fearing for Alfred's safety, but watched with a bewildered expression as the little boy picked up the buffalo by it's hooves and started to swing it around, giggling. Arthur then realized that maybe Alfred wasn't as dependent as he thought.
This was a good thing, as Arthur wasn't around much during Alfred's childhood. As Arthur was England, he often had business to attend to across the ocean, and would leave Alfred for long periods of times. Alfred did cherish the visits that Arthur did make, especially when he was given a set of toy soldiers by the older nation.
On one such occasion, Alfred threw his arms around Arthur's waist, begging him not to leave and that he would be lonely. Of course, there was little Arthur could do to help the situation - He had a job he needed to do, and he knew that Alfred would be alright in the end. If he knew what would happen in his absence he might have changed his tune.
The next time Arthur returned, Alfred no longer had the physical appearance of a little boy, but rather a teenager. He actually stood a little taller than Arthur, and though he still had a friendly smile on his face, it would be impossible to say that Arthur wasn't a little unnerved over the whole thing, especially when their relationship started to change. Like most teenagers, Alfred started to get tired of being told what to do. Like most teenagers, Alfred rebelled.
...unlike most teenagers, Alfred was America. And thus his rebellion turned into a war - The American Revolution. The two scarcely saw each other during the following years, but when they finally met, some time near the end of the war, Arthur had Alfred in his sights, and proceeded to charge at Alfred, sending the musket in the younger's hands flying into the air and onto the ground. The men behind Alfred cocked their guns, prepared to fire at Arthur, but Arthur had Alfred at point blank range. Yet he found that he couldn't shoot, and could only collapse in front of Alfred, asking why. To which Alfred responded that he knew why. After that, the United States of America was granted it's independence, though neither party has forgotten that particular point in time. Alfred still pokes at Arthur over it, and Arthur's condition collapses every 4th of July.
Alfred was one of the first to try to befriend Japan when Japan started to open it's doors to the west. Though at first Alfred's sheer energy was hard for the calm Japan to cope with (and World War II posed more than a few issues between them), the two are currently really close friends, who often share technology with each other. He is on generally good terms with, and can be seen with most of the Allies he fought with in World War II (with the exception of Russia, who he is still on iffy terms with).
Though Alfred possesses some memories (enough to have a general idea of who he is and some of the major events), there are still some gaping holes in his recollection, like someone went through his brain and decided to go slap-happy with an eraser on various parts of his memory. He's working on trying to get those back slowly but surely.
Key Moment: Alfred was going for a walk near his home when his surroundings shifted, leaving him a bit dazed and confused.
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A Roleplaying Shift
RP Sample:
Did something just happen?
Alfred peered around, unfamiliar surroundings greeting him. Not only were the surroundings different, but he had the vague feeling that something was different about them. It was a little unnerving, but particularly moreso once Alfred realized that he had absolutely no idea how he'd gotten here. "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," he muttered, before chuckling to himself.
He started to wander aimlessly. Maybe if he looked around he'd jog something in his memory. Instead, the only thing that he discovered as he walked was that, as he tried to recall the circumstances before he got here, there were holes in his memory. At first he assume it only concerned the events directly before his arrival - wherever this was - but soon came to realize that there were actually holes in his memory. He could remember some of the basics. His name was Alfred F. Jones, he was the United States of America. He could remember some of the details - He was raised by England, had issues with Russia, his brother's name was Canada. He could remember some personal events, as well as some events in his history. Many of the more intricate details of his history, on the other hand, were just out of reach. He knew they were there, he just couldn't seem to access them. It made for an immensely frustrating feeling.
As such, when Alfred was suddenly approached from behind, he nearly jumped out of his skin. His heart was hammering. At least the man had the sense to be apologetic.
"My apologies, sir. I did not mean to startle you. I realize this may be a bit much for you..."
"Yeah, that's kind of an understatement buddy." Alfred interrupted.
The man chuckled - At least he was dealing with someone who was friendly and had a sense of humor. That always made things either. "Donald Mason. I work for Tenebrae Estates. Come with me and I'll explain a few things to you..."
Member Name: Mandee
Member Age: Twenty-four
How You Found Out About Us: Directory post
Other Characters: First on here
Tell us a Little About Yourself!: I'm going to school to be a medical assistant, and am nearing starting my externship. =)
