| Dec 24, 2011 21:44:00 GMT -5 |
Post by france on Dec 24, 2011 21:44:00 GMT -5
François "France" Bonnefoy
"Liberté, égalité, fraternité, ou la mort."
"Liberté, égalité, fraternité, ou la mort."
I Feel Like We're Summoning The Devil
Nickname/Alias: Francis, Franny, Francisco,
Gender: Male
Character Type: Country
Country or Country of Origin: France
Canon or Original: Canon
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When I look into all of your stupid faces
I think how fun it will be to pound them into dust
Hair: Blond
Height and Weight: 5'9", 152 lbs.
Other Distinguishing Features: Facial hair, piercings in both lobes.
Overall Appearance: The Republic of France is an incarnation who, at first glance, it becomes abundantly apparent that he spares no expenses when it concerns his outward appearance. He is an individual of fine taste and finer grooming, preferring his long, golden locks of slightly waved hair to the cropped and militant styles of modern concoction. What little facial hair he possesses, he keeps trimmed and neatly combed (to spare himself seeming some kind of barbarian). His bright eyes are framed by long lashes of a slightly duller blond, but he is no stranger to his vanity; indeed, he very rarely steps outside of his home without at least foundation, having never quite grown out of wearing makeup in centuries past. In this regard, he can seem a bit old-fashioned, especially to other nations who prefer to live in today's trends.
His regalia varies greatly from day to day, but one can always be assured that it is never dull or boring. He is a man who enjoys lavish dress, preferring pieces which make bold statements and draw attention to his "finer" assets. On any occasion, one might find him sporting elegant lace cravats and silk ties, blouses that are shirred, pintucked, pleated or rusched and dripping with all manner of bows, buttons, fine Venetian laces and flounces. Shoes and hats are two of his most favoured accessories, and fill the majority of his rather extensive wardrobe.
François is of moderate build, but very taut and prides himself on his calves, which he adores to show off at every opportunity. He prefers a more streamlined body type, as he believes that it is far more elegant and beautiful, especially in regard to performing arts. Despite his fondness for heeled footwear, his feet are quite flexible and his arches create the ideal "C" shape desirable for dance.
Though what he presents to the public is the epitome of fine living and good breeding, France's long history is steeped in warfare. To this end, France by far can hold his own; his hands are covered thickly with callouses, having trained with the sword for so long that it became akin to an extension of his right arm. Weapons and firearms of more modern make confound him, however, and he much prefers the honour of peering into the eyes of his opponent before killing them. He is also not as pale as he would like to be, due to frequent expeditions, maritime activities, trench warfare and other outdoor undertakings of lesser degree.
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Man up or I'll beat you with my peace prize!
★ Fine Dining
★ Expensive Clothing
★ Dance (Ballet in particular)
★ Fencing (Saber and La Canne)
★ Gifts
★ Calligraphy
★ Interior Decoration
★ Gambling
★ Wine
★ Witty Banter
★ Compliments
★ Horses
★ Sculptures and Paintings
★ Fruit
★ Chess
★ Poetry
★ Flowers
★ Uniforms
Dislikes:
✖ Fast Food
✖ England's Cooking
✖ Being Slighted
✖ Mud/Dirt
✖ Snow
✖ Sunburns
✖ Rodents
✖ Maritime Activities
✖ Drafty Rooms
✖ American Chocolate
✖ Canadian/American French
✖ Being Pressured or Rushed
Strengths:
+ He is a man full of confidence, approaching others easily and prompting conversation.
+ He is organized and clean, preferring to conduct his work in uncluttered spaces.
+ He prefers to consider a situation from all sides before reaching a conclusion (unless it has to do with England, then it doesn't matter because Arthur is always wrong).
Weaknesses:
- He is stubborn and insistent when he doesn't get his way of things at first.
- He is terribly vain and almost always fishes for compliments on anything he wears or does.
- He is dramatic and indulgent, often making mountains out of molehills.
Fears:
☣ That once he becomes an "ancient" nation like Rome, he will start balding.
☣ He currently shares an alliance with England, but between his politics with Alfred and Arthur, he is not always certain that England will honour it.
☣ He dislikes that he has such a horrible reputation of being perverse, but the thought that he'll always be thought of in such a way makes him distraught.
Secrets:
♦ France knows the true identity of the man in the iron mask. (If you're unfamiliar with the story, I highly encourage you to look into it.)
♦ He also knows how Napoleon Bonaparte truly died. Curious? Ask and he might tell, but this part of his history is a bit sensitive.
Any Quirks/Habits:
= He brushes his hair in sections every morning after showering, 100 strokes per section.
= If sent flowers before a dinner date, he will display them as a centerpiece.
= He likes to recount stories in as exaggerated a form as possible.
Overall Personality: To speak of French culture is to speak of any and all things which are highly refined and resplendent. He is known as the country of love, and in this regard he is not lacking; he prefers chivalry and classic methods of wooing a potential lover. However, when it comes to marriage, France is very practical, and tends to take his role in wedlock very seriously. He was and is no stranger to political marriages, currently enjoying a Bourbon union with Spain.
The French are private people and have different rules of behaviour for people within their social circle and those who are not. Although the French are generally polite in all dealings, it is only with their close friends and family that they are free to be themselves. Friendship brings with it a set of roles and responsibilities, including being available should one be needed. Friendship involves frequent, if not daily, contact.
So, too, can this be said of its incarnation; François appears to be a bit older than many of his peers, favouring formalities and tradition, and has cultivated his manners as well as standard of living. He is fond of the arts and literature (French poetry being among the most renowned in the world). He lives his life lavishly, preferring to surround himself with beauty and any and all manner of luxurious findings, and placing happiness and longevity in high regard. In fact, to this we must add that life expectancy in France is among the highest in the world.
Charming, witty, and sincere (if not always entirely honest)—these things find their place within his many facets. But these things were and are not always true of him.
Indeed, French culture has played an important role throughout time; it can be said that the years of his glory were similarly the years of his corruption. Known as the "eldest" of the church, France was highly religious and zealous, but with this he was also strict, catty, and at worst, sadistic and cruel. He is capable of harbouring grudges for quite some time, acting out of spite or malice, and coupled with his pride it has led his judgement to be clouded on more than a few occasions. He does not take kindly to being insulted or made light of on any occasion, and will be swift to correct the offender with his sharp tongue (if not worse).
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I'm the hero!
1. Origins
1,500 BC: Prehistoric populations, cave art and stone monuments.
1200 BC : Settlement by the Gauls (related to the Celts).
59-52 BC : Conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar and the beginning of Gallo-Roman civilization.
500 AD : Barbarian invasions and the end of Pax Romana following the fall of Rome.
600 AD : Settlement by the Franks, the barbarian tribe from which France derives its name.
2. Establishment of a State and Nation
768 AD : Charlemagne, named Emperor of the Western world, attempts to recreate
the Roman Empire.
987 AD : Hughes Capet founds the Capetian dynasty, which will last until 1328. The monarchy asserts its new power over feudal lords.
11th-13th centuries Middle Ages : flourishing of Romanesque and Gothic art. Crusades.
14th-15th centuries : French-English rivalry culminates in the Hundred Years War triggering a new wave of nationalism. France is also plagued by the Black Death and famines.
3. Absolute Monarchy and the Enlightenment
15th-16th centuries The Renaissance.
1539 : French replaces Latin as the official language.
1562-1589 : Religious wars between Catholics and Protestants.
1598 Edit of Nantes grants freedom of conscience and worship.
1610-1715 Reign of Louis XIII followed by the Absolute Monarchy of Louis XIV resulting in royal authority and hegemony; increased spread of French culture.
18th century : Economic and demographic growth. Age of Enlightenment. Absolutism questioned. French participate in the American Revolution
1789 French Revolution; Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. End of the monarchy.
4. Political Experiments
1804-1815 : Napoleon is named Emperor; he reorganizes the French administration and legal system, establishing the Napoleonic Code.
1815 : Restoration of the Monarchy.
1830-1848 : Revolution. July Monarchy. Industrialization.
1848 : Revolution. Second Republic. Slavery abolished.
1852-1870 : Second Empire under Napoleon III. Prosperity and growth. Colonial
conquests.
1870-1871 : Loss of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany.
1875 : Third Republic.
5. Republican France
1880-1910 : Secular education, freedom to assemble, separation of church and state
(1905). Colonial expansion.
1894-1906 : France is split over the Affaire Dreyfus: A Jewish army captain is wrongly accused of treason, but found innocent a few years later.
1914-1918 : World War I (1,350,000 killed). The U.S enters the war in 1917.
Alsace-Lorraine restored to France. Peace Treaty of Versailles (1919).
1936-1938 : Rise of the Popular Front. Social developments include agreements on work conditions and paid vacations.
1939-1945 : World War II (700,000 killed). Germany occupies France. Collaboration of the Vichy regime. General de Gaulle in London calls on the French to resist. Resistance.
1944-1945 : Normandy and Provence landings. Liberation of France.
1946-1958 : Fourth Republic is marked by economic reconstruction and end of colonization. Political instability. Beginning of the European construction. Sharp demographic increase.
6. Fifth Republic
1958 : De Gaulle returns to power and founds the Fifth Republic, adopted by
referendum.
1962 : End of Algerian War, begun in 1954.
1969-1974 : Georges Pompidou elected President of the Republic. European construction strengthened.
1974-1981 : Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, President of the Republic. Oil crisis followed by recession.
1981 : Socialist candidate François Mitterrand is elected President of the Republic with a left-wing majority in the National Assembly; Abolition of the death penalty. Decentralization laws. Nationalization of large coorporations.
1986 : Legislative elections; the Left loses out to conservative parties. Jacques Chirac, a conservative, is appointed Prime Minister. First cohabitation. Re-privatization.
1988 :François Mitterrand is re-elected President of the Republic. The Left wins a majority in legislative elections.
1992 : The French ratify the Maastricht Treaty on European Union by referendum. 1993 : March 29, victory of the Right in legislative elections: second cohabitation government. Privatization program resumes.
1995 : May 7, Jacques Chirac of the neo-Gaullist RPR party is elected President of the Republic. Alain Juppé is appointed Prime Minister.
1997 : June 3, Lionel Jospin is named Prime Minister after Jacques Chirac has dissolved the National Assembly.
October 1997 : Signing of the Amsterdam Treaty.
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You've got it backwards! Backwards!
Hurry up and throw it! If you don't hurry up and throw it, you'll go "boom"!
In all the centuries that he had lived, he had not expected that he might be given such an opportunity.
England, the nation and embodiment thereof, was a constant thorn in his side; his thirst for power and control daresay matched his very own, but Roderich as well was no stranger to opportunity. It was without question that Austria had lived and survived not solely on the strength of his army, but by the cunning of his character, and he had thus come to a conclusion that the British would aid well his cause in battle.
Spain's previous expanses and constant warfare had left his military lacking, their skirmishes between the British and Bavarians resulting in little victory to the allied forces of Spain and Naples, and later France himself. However, the matter would not be left at this; leaving Spain in the hands of Austria was a consequence unthinkable to France, and so a plan of attack would be formed between himself and Antonio as well as their military commanders.
Their third ally, Prussia, had been advancing due to Austria's efforts elsewhere; François had known of the efficiency of the Prussian army, particularly so beneath Frederick, but outside of this war had not associated himself with the Prussian embodiment at length. He had an angular, nigh serpentine coutenance, as a ghost or perhaps a demon with no need for court makeup nor a powdered wig. Perhaps he was holy; he had not bothered to breech the subject, as there was little time afforded them for conversation unrelated to war.
The sun had risen a handful of hours prior, many of their tents unoccupied from the past evening, whilst those appointed stood watch before the tents of important figures. The scent of gunpowder, cut wood and tarp filled the air around them, though within their circular fortification there was, at the very least, one who did not achieve a peaceful sleep throughout the night.
Daylight began to illuminate the inside of the French nation's tent, casting strange figures upon its walls, the objects and body contained therein. A small cot had been afforded him, the bedding unkempt and telling of recent use; there was also a tall makeshift desk, littered with maps and pieces, documents and other of its likeness. Atop these documents sat a plate of bread and assorted cheeses, and beside it, an oblong bottle of olive oil as well as a short tumbler from which the Frenchman had emptied its contents mere minutes ago.
His pallid brow was furrowed in thought as he chewed slowly, leaning back in his seat as his gaze was lofted toward the triangular peak of his tent, though his thoughts were far from such. Navy breeches hid the flesh of strong thighs from view, and upon his torso, a spacious white blouse hung freely, the jabot fastened about his neck and pinned with a jeweled brooch. He afforded himself no jewel nor finery of any kind aside from this; no war he had ever waged was won with such things, which he reserved for peaceful respite. Blond locks, touseled from sleep, had been drawn back into a ponytail at his nape and fastened with a navy ribbon.
After a period of inactivity, it was most certainly time again to take up arms. But with it, the nerves were slowly and meticulously frayed, from the youngest and most inexperienced in their ranks all the way to the most seasoned veteran of war. To speak of veterans, however, the kingdom of France was no mere trifle; after all, one could not have withstood having his nation placed tumultuously between so many others with smiles and pleasantries. That François Bonnefoy laboured rather long was an understatement, but he certainly bore the scars of his dangerous endeavours.
The Frenchman would be roused from his thoughts with the sound of footfalls stirring the dirt outside of his quarter, and a moment thereafter, blue eyes would settle against the canvas, attempting to discern the intention of such a passerby. It could only be one of two things: afternoon watch, or Antonio and his guest, which he had agreed to meet with. Rigidly he sat, awaiting what was to come to him from the outside world.
He was soon graced with the presence of the Spanish kingdom, as well as the Bavarian woman with which he came; though France was far from fluent, he could convey the very basics, as he happened to share a border with Germanic kingdoms. And so, he carefully rose to his feet (having taken it upon himself to display the good breeding of his people), inclining his head of wavy blond locks in greeting.
"Guten Tag, mademoiselle. Antoine. Please sit, if you care to." He managed cordially, the words curling steadily forth from his mouth. A sall sigh escaped his lips, his weariness not escaping him, and soon thereafter a light, cordial smile pulled the corners of his lips, dimpling his cheeks and causing his pale lashes to lower. "I did attempt to sleep, but I did not accomplish much." He relayed, a tone of sardonic amusement making itself apparent as he turned his back to his impromptu guest in order to fetch the bottle of Burgundy he had previously been indulging. Filling his empty tumbler (as it was the only glass which could be spared), he extended the beverage to the Bavarian woman. The lady reminded him a bit of Roderich, save that she might have held an easier presence. "Tell me, how may I help you this afternoon?"
Stood as he was, the long lines of his lower body were visible to his two guests. The majority of his torso was shrouded in white linen until tucked into the waistband of his breeches, where a gentle dip would signal the ending of his waist and the beginning of his hips. His haunches, thighs and bared calves appeared streamlined, and while not terribly thick in girth, were well-defined, but such things were to be expected of a man who faced so much opposition. The French army was dilligent and instructed with techniques as how best to anticipate the action of one's opponent. And anticipation was something that did not leave him even now before the Spanish and Bavarian embodiments; he knew precisely why they were here, despite his earlier prompting. Antonio he was quite used to by this time, but the lady Bavaria was a different matter entirely.
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I Summon thee from far away lands, come forth!
You called?
Timezone: GMT-8
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