Gilbert "Preußen" Beilschmidt

[/color]:[/b] Gilbert Beilschmidt
Nickname/Alias: Gil, Herr Ehrfürchtig,Preußen, Ost
Gender: Male
Character Type: Former Country

Country or Country of Origin: Königreich Preußen, New Federal States of Germany

Canon or Original: Canon
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[/color]: Crimson[/b]
Hair: White/Platinum blond
Height and Weight: 5'9, 165lbs
Other Distinguishing Features: The most obvious would undoubtedly be the standard albino features of his platinum blond (Silver or white, however you see it) hair and red eyes, which generally make it easy for others who don't know him to assume that he is a cruel, merciless man of little patience, although in a way, still fragile due to his pale complexion.


Overall Appearance:

Standing at five foot nine inches and weighing a respectful 165 pounds, Gilbert is well toned with lean muscle from centuries of fighting and warfare. All useless fat has been trimmed off as his military has expanded beyond the limitations held by other nations--he has been known as "an army with a state" for a reason and lives up to the title by being fully fit and ready to fight, even during peacetime. He also has the faintest of marks of former scars and wounds on his body to show the efforts and to remind him just why he fights.

Gilbert is well recognizable by his distinguishing white hair, sharp red eyes, and pale flesh tone. His short white hair hangs around and above his ears with bangs that sweep to one side, the whole style of it may look to be a bit carelessly worn but that Gilbert purposefully fixes each day to his own satisfaction. On rare occasions (mostly during WW2), he would sometimes slick his hair back like Ludwig to try to garner extra respect and recognition from the men or for his own amusement.

From his first day as a Kingdom and up until the end of WW2, when it came to wardrobe, he would pointedly go for things that are practical and yet have an element of showiness. He's not just going to defeat his opponents: he's going to look awesome doing it. His choices of colors come in Prussian blue, whites, browns, blacks, and dashes of red. Colors that happen to have a close tie with his traditionalist military uniforms, which is also a must in the lineup. Yet he has also been known to wear relaxed civilian clothes when he's feeling especially calm and content. Nonetheless, he always has some weapon stored within the folds of his clothes for he is never unarmed.

During his GDR days, his style of clothing became more well-worn, due to the limitations of the market, and subdued in color. The markings of the Prussian militarism were shunned by his bosses and so he was stripped of such medals and symbols. After unification, he has since regained some of his Prussian determination (as opposed to the "Bavarian"-ism of the south, with their more laid-back, less militarist, and popular Lederhosen-wearing style.)

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-KARTOFFELN UND BIER!
Potatoes and beer

-Structure and Militarism
Though it is true that he is generally a narcissistic, uncaring layabout, he has the potential to be fairly tough on himself when it comes to warfare and training, acting much like his younger brother as a hard-working, punctual and even diligent individual.

-Himself
Preußen ist die meisten ehrfürchtig!
(I think that's how you say it... Not sure about the 'die.')

-Yellow birds and small, cute animals
"WAS!? Das ist NICHT wahr! Halt's Maul!"

(No, YOU shut up!
-I'm gonna stop talking to myself now...-)

-Eating, sleeping and partying
(Partying is, from now on, a word! xD)

Dislikes:
-Mistreatment or disrespect of the armed forces
As hard as it is to believe, he does have strong militaristic views.

-Vodka
Bier ist besser...

-Abuse of his virtues
While he doesn't support the Nazi ideology, since he believes that anyone who supports him and Germany must be good (which is also how they got to him, by laying seeds of doubt), he does approve of the hierarchy, uniforms, prominent display of power, growth of the army, and ensuing recapture of lost territory that come with having them in power.

-Being alone, although he'd never admit it, being a sign of weakness and all...

-Being looked down upon, and generally feeling helpless/useless

Strengths:

-Surprisingly high alcohol tolerance

-Loyalty
As stated somewhere above, he will go to the ends of the Earth to gaurantee the safety of those dear to him if required to, and would even go as far as to lay down his life for them without hesitation.

-Strong
(That sounds so cheezy...)
As explained above, in the personality

Weaknesses:

- Solitude
For an unknown reason, he has an irrational fear of being alone or iscolated from others for any period of time, although he'll do everything in his power to hide the fact.

-Narcissism
Even to those unfamiliar with the nation, it is blatantly obvious to anyone that he has an abnormally high opinion of himself, and appears to look down on other from a great height, and this along with his quick tongue ofthen get him into trouble.

-Alcohol

His high tolerance to alcohol often encourages him to drink more than the accepted amount...considerably more.
At times of boredom, he'll often turn to beer as a form of entertainment, and it's become common practice for him to carry a bottle or two around with him, or more.

Fears:

-Losing and becoming forever weak
Becoming one of the world's strongest nations, and suddenly having everything stripped from him has caused Gilbert to almost constantly question himself and whether or not he's doing the right thing as a result of his inexperience when it comes to losing, being accustomed to recklessly throwing himself into battle and always emerging victorious, despite the odds. He successfully hides his insecurity with an abnormally huge ego and narcissistic tendencies.

-Becoming divided again
Despite his underlying negative attitude towards the reunification, he generally sees it in a positive light, having to not stand alone as he had done for centuries.


Secrets:

-He enjoyed being a Teutonic Knight much more than he lets on, which resulted in him being not exactly reluctant when the boss during WW2 said they needed to crush Poland. Or that they needed more leg room in the Baltic region. Or that they needed to fight France. Or when they ought to bomb England...

-Despite himself, he finds at times of boredom that his thoughts travel to a certian surprisingly sexy Hungarian...

-Though he hides it well, and refuses to fully acknowledge it, he does harbour some resentment towards Ludwig due to the unification of Germany, which resulted in his being overshadowed by his younger brother, and for his 'lack of interest' in preventing the official dissolution of Prussia in 1947.

Any Quirks/Habits:

-Though he apparently fails to realise it, a particular type of small yellow bird appears to follow him wherever he goes, more ofthen than not sitting on his shoulder or head.

-Though he'd never admit it, Roderich's obsession with music has over the years intregued him to learn to play a few instruments, namely the electric guitar and violin, though of course he's never ceased to tease the Austrian.

Overall Personality:

Prussia's ego is by far his most notable attribute, as not only does he consider himself to be 'the best,' but also will go to great lengths to prove it, appearing to feel a constant need to prove himself in a number of ways, and to compliment himself, referring to himself as "awesome," especially in the prescence of those who think otherwise, which could be quite dangerous under certain circumstances. For these reasons, it is undoubtedly fair to say that he is extremely narcissistic. He has been known to torment others by threatening to invade their vital regions, and he's never all that clear on whether he means their land, or something else.

Though he claims that he prefers to be alone on an almost regular basis, those closest to him know that this couldn't be further from the truth. He'll grin when he's sad and hide any negative feelings away until he is ready to burst, which is probably the reason for his quick temper. Although he can quite easily hold a grudge against somebody for years, he can forgive and forget just as quickly, but of course this depends on the situation, making him a rather unpredictable person.

Despite his apparently obnoxious personality, Gilbert is surprisingly loyal to those he cares about, to the extent that he will lay is life down for them without a second thought, just to keep them safe. Of course, he'll tease them to the point where they're about ready to rip their hair out, though he would never have ill-intent behind it. Basically, once he finds someone he cares about, he will latch onto them to the extent that he won't let them out of his sight, and do anything he can to keep them safe. No matter the price, the few loved ones that he has, mean the world to him, hence the fact that he has a complete brother complex.

Much of Gilbert's personality has been shaped by the Prussian Virtues, founded by his Soldier King and later reinforced after his loss to Napoleonic France, a fact he gives credit to his later revival and victory. The virtues have conflict, however, with regards to whether he is at war or not or whether he is with friends or enemies. The virtue of humility, for instance, is shown while he fights and waits for victory but is suddenly absent the moment he tastes victory in the air, whereas he then sings his own praises. But yet he is tough on himself, courageous, punctual, and loyal to a fault. He has no difficulty being put in a subordinate role or in the position as a leader, for he is obedient and reliable. Yet he may complain and make a racket over the decision to make sure his voice is heard before he will finally comply, even if he had resorted to comply at the beginning.

When it comes to matters unrelated to warfare, Gilbert is laid back and a bit of a ruffian. He doesn’t mean to get himself into trouble, but sometimes he simply finds himself in awkward positions or in awkward conversations, to which he panics and even becomes flustered over what to say. When it comes to eloquence, he is sorely lacking. Yes, his heart is usually in the right place and he tries to do or say the right thing to the best of his abilities, but it’s difficult when he often times doesn’t understand just what the situation or other person needs due to being too full of himself to notice the finer details.


All in all, he can be an ass at times, but a lovable one. He is also obsessed with his journals, which he has an entire library full of, tucked away in a secret location. It is rare that he goes a day without writing in them, and he only fails to when he is too weak to lift a pen.


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P/C = Proto-nation & child
C = Child
T = Teen (13 - 17)
A = Adult (18+)

P/C

~~ 1190: Formation of the Teutonic Knights and during the siege of Acre, where their task was to run the field hospital for the Christian Crusaders. Beginning in 1198, they changed their focus to being a military order.

~~ 1211: A little Gilbert is asked by a little kingdom to defend land in Hungary against pagan invaders. He does so, settles down a bit after all the fighting, but is then kicked out due to fear of him planning to stay there permanently.

C

~~ 1224: Founding of the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights. A small Gilbert is trained by priests and mercenaries into caring little for his neighbors for the sake of his own growth and expansion. Germanisation and religion gives him purpose.

~~ 1401 -- First Samogitian uprising supported by the Lithuanian King. Relations between the Monastic State with Poland and Lithuania is dreadful.

~~ 1409-1411: The Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War leads not only to the end of the Monastic State's growth but also to his coming end. Gilbert ceases to be a great power in the region, although he continues to fight and struggle until the end.

~~ 1454 – 1466: Thirteen Years’ War, which results in the Monastic State losing part of itself to Poland (due to nobility, gentry, and clergy within the Monastic State wanting to join Poland) in the form of Royal Prussia. Nonetheless, the Monastic State survives.

T

~~ 1525: Protestant Reformation helps secularize the Monastic State, which becomes the Duchy of Prussia.

~~ 1618: Electors of Brandenburg "inherit" the Duchy of Prussia. A monarchy is established by a personal union between the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg creates Brandenburg-Prussia, with a joint capital in Berlin. Gilbert is introduced to the Hohenzollern Royal Family.

~~ 1618 - 1648: Thirty Years War. Brandenburg-Prussia is urged to fight by Sweden, who owns much of their land. The country is ravaged and the union does not recover. Gilbert is frustrated beyond belief but doesn’t know any better due to being weak.

~~ 1656 January 17: Treaty of Königsberg. Frederick William I, the "Great Elector" of Brandenburg and duke of Prussia, withdrew ties with Lithuania and Poland (with the Duchy of Prussia being just about a fief) and acknowledged a vassal status with Sweden. Prussia heads down a new path: Frederick begins to push the military upon Prussia at a tremendous rate and Gilbert, not exactly being skilled at anything else, embraces it quickly and is eager to go along.

~~ 1701 January 18: Lucky for Prussia and not for Brandenburg, Prussia was outside the Holy Roman Empire's domain and thus the Hohenzollern's could become Kings (Kings IN Prussia, not OF Prussia), which they promptly did with the creation of the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia continued on with keeping Berlin as the capital.

~~ 1740 May 31: Frederick II, later Friedrich der Große, ascends the throne. Gilbert is unimpressed, especially as Frederick II tried to run away from him in the past.

~~ 1740 – 48: War of Austrian Succession. Frederick II wastes no time in taking the young Kingdom to war. Prussia is pushed to the brink but due to Frederick II’s great leadership, manages to acquire Silesia from Austria. Gilbert is greatly shaken by the whole event but comes out of bursting with confidence.

A

~~ 1756-1763: The Seven Years War. Prussia fights hard and ends up in the same position he was at the beginning.

~~ 1803 February 25: The 1,800 sovereign German states united into 60 states. Prussia is only one of those.

~~ 1772 Aug 5: First partition of Poland. Gilbert couldn’t be happier, as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had been a long-term threat. Participants included Russia, Austria, and Prussia.

~~ 1779 Sep 13: Frederick II of Prussia issued a manifesto in which he bemoaned the increased use of coffee and called for more consumption of beer.

~~ 1786: Frederick the Great dies. The country mourns for years.

~~ 1792 Apr 20: France declared war on Austria, Prussia, and Sardinia, marking the start of the French Revolutionary wars. Although he was declared war on, Gilbert watches but doesn’t get involved, despite being slightly nervous for his own monarchy.

~~ 1793 Jan 23: Second Partition of Poland. Participated only by Russia and Prussia.

~~ 1795 Oct 24: Third and final partition of Poland by Russia, Austria, and Prussia. Poland ceases to exist and Prussia is glad for the extra living space.

~~ 1803 Feb 25: The 1,800 sovereign German states are united into 60 states.

~~1803 – 1815: Napoleonic Wars. Prussia begins on the side of France. France defeats Austria and the HRE is disbanded. Prussia (and Gilbert) are shocked, and become concerned at France’s strength, beginning to view France as more of a threat than an ally.
~~~ 1806: Fredrick III decides to declare war against France. Although allied with Russia, the Russian army is too far away at the time and the Prussians are defeated by Napoleon himself. Gilbert is humiliated and angered, as the fighting only lasted 19 days and France demanded harsh economic demands on the nation. (Something that will seem infuriatingly familiar come Post-WW1.) An attempt is made to abolish the Kingdom of Prussia but is rejected by Prussia's undefeated ally, Russia.
~~~ 1812: Prussia re-enters the war.
~~~ 1813: The introduction of the Iron Cross as a symbol for bravery.
~~~ 1815: The War ends as Prussia enters the final battle, giving the final major attack alongside England for France’s defeat. With the disbandment of the HRE, Prussia's rulers are now called the King of Prussia.

~~ 1818 May 5: Karl Marx, German philosopher, was born in Prussia. The man would later write the Communist Manifesto. Gilbert doesn’t notice much nor does he much care. (Note: May need to check more sources for this one, as it’s vague.)

~~ 1848 Apr 6: Jews of Prussia are granted equality. Prussia's line of thinking: So long as everyone supports me, it doesn’t matter what they believe.

~~ 1848: Revolution sweeps across Europe. Prussia not only fights off its own attempts to become a democratic nation, but is called upon other nations to subdue their revolutions as well due to his military might. Gilbert does it with pleasure.

~~ 1848 – 51: First War of Schleswig. Prussia attempts to acquire Schleswig-Holstein from Denmark but ends up falling back.

~~ 1862 Oct 8: Otto von Bismarck became German republic chancellor. The man single-handedly goes about isolating France, creating diplomatic relations, and working to create a unified German state with Prussia at the head. He also makes alliances with Russia to keep the nation neutral in a potential war with Austria. Gilbert doesn’t pay much mind as Bismarck works alone.

~~ 1864: Second War of Schleswig. Prussia acquires Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark, two Germanic states. Prussia was led into War by Bismarck and was resistant to enter the war but, after victory, began to follow Bismarck eagerly. Age 23.

~~ 1866: Austro-Prussian War or the Seven Weeks War. War resulted in Prussia dominating much of the German states and with Austria losing control or influence with regards to a future united Germany. Prussia feels, for lack of a better phrase, pretty damn good.

~~1867: Otto von Bismarck organizes a North German Confederation under the leadership of Prussia. Gilbert’s confidence grows, as does his ego. Age 24.

~~1870: The ''Ems Dispatch'' serves as a reason for a war between Prussia and France. Gilbert just about gets tricked by Bismarck as well into entering the war as Francis.

~~ 1870 Jul 19: The Franco-Prussian War begins. Gilbert jumps into it eagerly and, despite losses, dominates the war.

~~ 1871 Jan 18: William I of Prussia is proclaimed as the "German Emperor" (which was not the same thing as "Emperor of Germany") in Versailles, France. The Franco-Prussian War is still in progress, however, for a little while longer.

~~ 1871: With all the German states on Prussia's side (which pointedly excluded Austria) the German Empire is finally declared. Although all the other Germanic States are incorporated into the single entity of Germany, Prussia continues to exist alongside it. Thus, Gilbert has a little brother to watch over, a little brother to make sure he eats healthy, brushes his teeth, has an awesome monarchy to help rule over him, and have (one of) the strongest land armies in the world.

~~ 1914 - 1919: WWI, Treaty of Versailles, and the rise of the Weimar Republic. So it turned out that the newest Kaiser wasn't as amazing as Gilbert hoped, ended up losing all alliances that the awesome Iron Chancellor Bismarck had established over three decades ago (which had included Russia and England), and was convinced to go to war on the side of Austria (who appeared to have broken a nail in the Balkans and was throwing a fuss). Nonetheless, Prussia fought hard. Then lost alongside Germany. He put all his faith into three Jewish bankers to settle peace, but who failed due to France's desire to punish the Germans. Revolution struck, the Kaiser (who may have been useless but was from Prussia's royal family whom he had bestowed to Germany) was given the boot, and Prussia was demoted to becoming a Free State after suffering from huge land loss, effectively splitting his part of the country in half so that Poland could have access to the sea.

~~ 1919 - 1933: Starvation, hyperinflation, massive population loss due to the war, and a treaty that will punish them for generations to come. Prussia is miserable, his pride shot, and is aching for anything.

~~ 1927 Mar 10: Prussia lifted its Nazi ban and Hitler was allowed to speak in public.

~~ 1932 Apr 24: In the German national elections, the NSDAP/NAZI won 36.3% of the vote in Prussia.

~~1932 July 20: Preußenschlag, or the Prussian coup. Under the order of Paul von Hindenburg, President of Germany, Prussia’s very-much democratic government was disbanded, making way for Hitler’s rise to power. Gilbert has a large headache.

~~ 1933 January 30: Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany. Prussia/Gilbert, who had not been impressed by the Nazi party even after the ban was removed in 1924, is still not impressed. Although he is known as a Free State, he is still tied closely with Germany. The Prussian elite, however, refuse to yield themselves or their Kingdom-turned-Free-State quite yet.

~~ 1933 March 23: Day of Potsdam and the Enabling Act leads to Prussia being incorporated into Germany in a fancy, Pro-Prussian ceremony that simply has Gilbert watering despite his inhibitions. Hitler manages to consolidate his power as the conservative parties and army are brought into the fold. The Free State of Prussia is stricken from the map in theory, but continues to be an administration zone (still referred to as the Free State of Prussia) under Hermann Göring, the head of the Luftwaffe and second in command of the Third Reich. Nonetheless, Gilbert is still held accountable to by the main boss.

~~ 1933 Apr 11: Hermann Göring becomes premier of Prussia. As Göring helped support the economy and rearmament in Prussia, Gilbert was, admittedly, glad to have him. In Gilbert’s mind, it was better than the weak Weimar Republic which had, in a sense, betrayed him.

~~ 1933 March 23 until 1945 May 2: Prussia is more or less a part of Germany and follows the "Fatherland" in all manners, including, but not limited to, rearmament, World War II, and acts of genocide. All treaties and pacts signed by Germany automatically extend into Prussia. While Gilbert enjoys himself greatly in the beginning, flaunting and exhorting their strength and power, by the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, he is very much singing a different tune, especially as the boss continues to show just what a horrendous commander of the army he is and that he is destroying the very German nation that Gilbert had worked so hard to create. The end of the war is a crushing blow not only to him physically, his lands in ruin and his people fleeing for their lives from East Prussia, but also to his pride and ego.

~~ 1945 - 1947: Suffering continues despite the end of the war, and a collective trauma is held. A mass exodus of Germans are pushed out of eastern lands and up to 1/3 of industry is ripped from the ground and shipped back to Russia. Occupation in Prussian lands are predominantly by the English and Russians.

~~ 1947 February 25: Official dissolution of Prussia due to the allies a. blaming Prussia for Germany's military strength and traditions and b. needing to split Germany into four neat pieces but with the existence of Prussia messing with their symmetry. The pieces of Prussia are distributed between Germany and Poland, with Russia receiving the royal capital of Königsberg (later renamed as Kaliningrad).

~~ 1949: The occupation zone is divided by the allies into East and West Germany. “East Germany” is controlled by the Soviet Union.

~~ 1950: Rearmament of West Germany by America, resulting in the first obvious differences between East and West. Gilbert feels slighted, especially as the Soviet Union stripped his part of the country of even the industry.

~~ 1953: Uprisings of 1953 in East Germany, a movement against the Stalinistic government in Eastern Germany which began in East Berlin. The strikes spread and so Soviet Troops entered the city. The uprising was violently put down. Because no one came to help him, Gilbert becomes disenchanted with America, the other allies, and even West Germany.

~~ 1955: The Soviet Union and the unified German Socialist Party, the SPD, declare the occupation zone to be a sovereign state called Deutsche Demokratische Republik (German Democratic Republic). Gilbert finally gets to move out of Ivan’s house, although Ivan continues to hover and control him. The other Eastern nations recognize the GDR but the west, including West Germany, refuse to acknowledge the GDR as a state or nation. Gilbert clashes with his brother as they rival over who is the 'real' Germany.

~~ 1955: West Germany joins NATO and a day or so later East Germany joins the Warsaw Pact. Gilbert refuses to fall behind, but West Germany is already far ahead of him.

~~ 1955: West Germany establishes the Hallstein Doctrine, which proclaims that West Germany would refuse any diplomatic ties with any nation that recognized the statehood of the GDR. Gilbert is furious and feels betrayed, as such an act pushes Gilbert even further behind the Iron Curtain.

~~ 1961: The Berlin Wall is constructed. Gilbert is informed that he will die if it falls as it keeps his people, his blood, in. Gilbert believes this but he hates the wall as much as anyone.

~~ 1968: The East German constitution declares unification impossible until the West becomes socialist. Gilbert basically rejects West Germany because West Germany rejects him.

~~ 1969: Social Democrat (SPD) Willy Brandt becomes chancellor and seeks better ties between the Soviet Union and East Germany. Gilbert has been obeying the Soviet Union and feels their relationship is already too friendly as it is.

~~ 1970 Aug 12: West Germany and the Soviet Union sign the Treaty of Moscow in regards to East Germany, with West Germany changing tactics from the Hallstein Doctrine to Ostpolitik. This is the first of several treaties meant to develop friendly ties between West and East Germany. With West Germany finally yielding on reunification and accepting the establishment of East Germany, Gilbert is filled with relief. His pitiful hatred for West Germany begins to subside as the other begins to reach out for him as an equal.

~~ 1973 Sept 18: The GDR is finally accepted into the United Nations

~~ 1974: East Germany beats West Germany in a tense soccer match at the FIFA World cup, hosted by West Germany. West Germany goes on to the win the cup. Gilbert recovers a small piece of confidence.

~~ 1987 June 12: US President Ronald Regan gives his "Tear Down This Wall" Speech. It sounds good to the West but basically has no immediate effect.

~~ 1989 Aug 23: Hungary opens the Iron Curtain, giving access of East Germans to filter out slowly.

~~ 1989 Summer to Fall: Peaceful Revolution: Peaceful Demonstrations by East Germans.

~~1989 Nov 9: An evening of confusion and a failure in communication between East German leaderships results in the Berlin Wall bursting open and East Germans fleeing from East Germany. Gilbert is somehow overcome with grief for himself—he had tried his best—and happiness that he’s finally made it out.

~~ 1990 Jul 17: The seven nations negotiating German unification reached agreement in Paris, clearing the way for the merger of East and West Germany.
~~~ Aug 23: East and West Germany announced that they would unite Oct 3.
~~~ Aug 31: East & West Germany signed a treaty to join legal & political systems. It is to be a treaty, not a takeover.
~~~ Sep 12: Representatives of the World War Two allies and West and East Germany signed the Two Plus Four Treaty in Moscow giving international sanction to German unity. Unified Germany is set on becoming an independent nation, free of Allied control.

~~ 1990 Sep 24: East Germany signed a treaty with the Soviet Union ending its membership in the Warsaw Pact.

~~ 1990 Oct 3: German Unification. West Germany and East Germany become a joint Germany after 45 years of postwar division. Formal reunification took place after a unification treaty was ratified by the Federal Republic's Bundestag and the German Democratic Republic's People's Chamber in September. At this point, Gilbert would represent the New Federal States of Germany, which are the states that were formed from the former GDR.
~~~ With unification, however, West Germany has to take on East Germany’s new economic difficulties (the communist state becoming democratic destroyed many, many jobs.) Although it was also not to be a takeover, West Germany is swift in stomping out most signs of the communist GDR era.

~~ 1990 Oct 4: German lawmakers meet in the Reichstag for the first meeting of reunified Germany’s parliament. The last time had been before the Reichstag fire in 1933, which helped bring the Nazis to power.

~~ 1990: The files of Stasi, the East German state security police, were opened to the public. The East German state security police had attempted to destroy all records but shredding machines overheated and much evidence was torn up by hand. A publicly funded project was begun to reconstruct the shredded evidence.

~~ 1991: Parliament names the newly unified Berlin as the new capital.

~~ 1994: Russian and Allied troops follow the agreement from the Two Plus Four Treaty and finally leave their occupation in Berlin. Gilbert and Ludwig get the house back to themselves.

~~ 2001 March: European Court of Human Rights rules that three former East German Communist leaders should serve jail terms for sanctioning a policy of shooting would-be escapees at the Berlin Wall. The Court said that the men -- among them the last East German leader Egon Krenz -- had violated international human rights law.

~~ 2002: Germany enters with the USA in the War on Terrorism as part of the UN in the form of a peace-keeping service. Germany’s first time participating in a war since WW2.

~~ 2006: Germany kicks butt at the FIFA World Cup. The first strong signs of German national spirit are shown since the 1930s, with the sentiment shared around the world as people from other nations cheer on the German National Team as well.

~~ 2010: Germany kicks even more butt at the FIFA World Cup.



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Crimson eyes were locked unblinkingly on the grey, withered remains of the field just beyond the window they gazed out of. A pale hand pressed lightly against the glass just under the small misshapen circle of fog that shrunk and grew with each breath Gilbert took. The purple lines under his eyes were easily visible against his pale skin, making it obvious that he hadn't slept all night. His lips were drawn in a thin frown, and the only movement from his figure was the faint rise and fall of his chest. He simply couldn't bring himself to turn around, to cast his gaze upon the king-sized bed, the sheets stained in ugly, red blotches, to the cold, motionless figure that was mostly hidden underneath them. It was at times like this that he barely felt like the older brother, much the opposite, in fact.

"Gilbert..."

Prussia winced. It wasn't often that he heard that tone, much less from Ludwig, of all people. His voice had been reduced to some form of low rasp that was probably as painful to create as it was to hear. Then again, he'd never known his brother to be bedridden, as he was. Forcing a smile that turned out more like a grimace, he glanced over his shoulder, finally allowing himself to blink, and immediately regretted it. He could close his eyes and see his brother as he wanted him to be. His blonde hair, slicked back, without as much as a strand out of place would be there. As would his crisp, newly laundered uniform, and the healthy glow of his naturally pale skin. Behind his eyelids, the real Ludwig would be there, so three-dimensional and realistic that he could almost convince himself that it was he who stood before him, rather than the shell of his brother who was lying in bed, virtually helpless.

With his eyes open, Germany was different. Altered. The West who was propped up in bed had skin that was a blotched patchwork of grey, white and yellow. His face was slightly hollowed out, as far as he could see, and he dared not look into those steel blue eyes.

"Hey, West," The grin widened slightly, but was still obviously forced. "You hungry? I can go get some wurst? And beer, want a six-pack of Pilsner? Kesesesesese! Of course you do! I'll go get it." Whatever he was saying wasn't even processing; it probably didn't even make any sense. Moat uncharacteristic, though to be honest, most of what he did at the moment was uncharacteristic. He was used to solving problems with action and there he was, staring at someone who was probably in pain, knowing that he couldn't do a damn about it. He was absolutely helpless, and Prussia didn't 'do' helpless very well.

"I don't want-"

Already knowing what the response would be, Gilbert didn't even bother to listen, interrupting Ludwig mid-sentence for the hundredth time that day. "Come on! The wurst is especially awesome, and you've gotta eat something! What's wrong with you?" As soon as he'd asked it, he realised that what he'd said sounded wrong. Harsh. Unfeeling, even. He was still struggling to understand how someone who was only a few years younger than himself, who went to the gym, who ate relatively healthily, who had never smoked...well not excessively, who drank as much as he did had woken up one day to find there was a clock ticking over his head; discovered he was one step closer to knowing when he'd meet his maker than he was. He'd been wrestling with this thought since he'd first found him in this state. Despite the obvious fact that Ludwig was virtually at death's door, Gilbert downright refused to accept that he'd just die and leave him to fend for himself.

Sighing, Prussia turned to face his brother fully, his grin faltering slightly. For once, he found himself unwilling to add another snappy response, or annoying (bordering on offensive) comment. Why Ludwig's current appearance surprised him every time he cast his gaze upon him was unknown to him. He would have thought that he was used to it by now,

Lapsing into an unusual silence, he just stood there and looked at him, an unfathomable expression plastered across his features, the grin abandoned completely. There wasn't really much to say, and there was no way that he was leaving the room, as the previous time he'd returned to find Ludwig attempting to do something or another, out of bed. He'd spent the next few minutes heaving and shivering, eventually coughing up a fair amount of his own blood, which, frankly, had completely terrified him.

Not that he'd admit it.

Seeing his brother in such a state on a regular basis was enough to keep him from the virtue that was taken with little appreciation by so many; a sweet, uninterrupted sleep that wasn't haunted by the image of your only relative's cold, motionless corpse mangled and twisted into a grotesque form lying in a heap at the foot of a flight of stone stairs, leading down into the overwhelming darkness, cold chains rattling ominously in the corner, the fear that lingered amid the horrors, the memories of a thousand tortures lingering in the mind, threatening to take you, to force you to succumb to the madness that hung like a contagious disease...

Gilbert bolted upright from his uncomfortable position on the makeshift bed, his body soaked with sweat, clutching the sheets with rigid, tense hands, so hard that his knuckles were as white as his hair as though it were the only thing keeping him from the fine threads of reality. For mere second he sat, mostly unmoving, his breathing panicked, coming in sharp wheezes, blood red eyes stinging as though he'd just been punched. It was a dream. A dream. The fact that it had seemed so real was irrelevant; it wouldn't happen in reality, it couldn't. And reality was everything. There was no point in living in the past, although at the same time he could never forget such horrors. If he were to glance up at the bed, ignoring the bloodstains, he'd catch a glimpse of the ghost-like features of his brother, barely but still clinging to what little life he had left, breathing in a harsh, unnatural manner that he could no nothing to prevent. No matter what else in the world changed, Ludwig would always be there, despite the odds. This had been true for so long that it terrified Gilbert to think of a world in which it wasn't. Without his brother.

With little or no hesitation, Gilbert shot up off the floor, looming over Ludwig like a shadow, crimson eyes wide with terror, mostly hidden by the filthy platinum mop that had become his hair. The terror that still continued to well up inside him, almost to bursting point, was too much for him to bear at that moment as he stared intently, expectantly, at the hollowed out, pale face as though willing desperately for it to show a sign of life. He had to prove to himself that Ludwig had not been unfairly taken from him as he slept, over the past couple of hours. It had been the first time he'd slept in days, possibly weeks, for so long and for the few seconds of tension that seemed to last a lifetime, Gilbert seriously regretted caving in to his brother's wish to allow himself to sleep.

He would be alive.

Unable to stand the unbearable tension for much longer, Gilbert resisted the urge to lightly poke the hopefully slumbering figure, in fear that the slight nudge would send him into the cold, beckoning clutches of Death. As soon as he thought it, Gilbert knew that he was being stupid, childish even. As Ludwig would have said, it wasn't logically possible for such an event to occur, it just wouldn't happen. Still, Gilbert felt the need to ensure that Ludwig hadn't left him. Despite his strength, he knew that his brother was the only reason that he had a home, despite the fact that he constantly stated to anybody who'd listen that Ludwig "lived in his upstairs," rather than himself living in the basement of his younger brother's house.

(From another site. Be One With Russia!)
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[/color]:[/b] Rae, Idiot and Prus generally! But I'm happy with anything.
(Idiot is related to my obsession with Green Day and Billie Joe Armstrong, as well as the fact that I'm kinda ignorant and gullible, courtesy of an awesome past site)
Timezone: ...The British one! (I'll work it out eventually!)

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