| Jan 22, 2012 0:15:16 GMT -5 |
Post by helvetica on Jan 22, 2012 0:15:16 GMT -5
VASH (SWISS CONFEDERATION) ZWINGLI
{“Frugality is the highest of virtues.”}
{“Frugality is the highest of virtues.”}
I Feel Like We're Summoning The Devil
Nickname/Alias: Switzerland, Swiss Confederation, Vash, Triggerhappy, Frugal, Neutral guy, Big brother, Suisse, Svizzera, Svira, Schweiz, Switz, Switzy, Short guy
Gender: Male
Character Type: Country
Country or Country of Origin: Swiss Confederation
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: 160cm (5’3’’), 61.23kg (135lbs)
Other Distinguishing Features: shoulder length blond hair, a white beret, a rifle over his shoulder
Overall Appearance: Physically, Switzerland isn’t that impressive to look at. He’s short and rather light in build. He has chin length blond hair, identical to the hairstyle that Liechtenstein has. He also has rather prominent green eyes which are mostly spent staring down a rifle. Though rarely seen, Switzerland has a cross shaped scar on his left shoulder, but it doesn’t stand out and can easily be overlooked. At his side are some goats, Eiger, Jungfrau, and Monch, all named after mountains in Switzerland.
As far as attire goes, Switzerland wears a dark green jacket with a white cross on one shoulder. He has brown and a white beret, though he frequently goes without the hat. He always has a rifle slung over one shoulder and a wide assortment of firearms and other weaponry, all of which he uses with great skill. He wears brown boots with beige trim and black gloves. In a less formal setting, Switzerland can be seen wearing a camouflage print hoodie and pants with a plain brown belt and brown combat boots. A white collared dress shirt and black tie are normal for most formal and semi-formal situations.
As a gift from Liechtenstein, Switzerland has prink frilly pajamas which he wears mostly at home and at Liechtenstein’s insistence. He owns normal, casual clothes and wears them on occasion, but is never without a few guns should anything unexpected happen. He has fast reflexes for military reasons.
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Man up or I'll beat you with my peace prize!
+ Guns
+ Goats
+ Money
+ Liechtenstein
+ Switzerland
+ Alps
+ Frugality
+ Military
+ Saving money
+ Banking
+ Punctuality
+ Quiet
+ Peace
+ Neutrality
+ Exercise
+ Reclusive lifestyle
+ Wine
+ Beer
+ German
+ Dogs
+ Cheap items
+ Cheese
+ Chocolate
+ A strong economy
+ Good money management
+ Hunting
+ Work
+ Strategizing
+ Reading maps
+ Boot camp
+ Target practice
+ Shooting things
+ Taxes
+ Being direct
+ Giving orders
+ Preaching
+ Christianity
Dislikes:
- Italy
- Wasted money
- Fruitless investments
- Debt
- Tardiness
- Being invaded
- Getting involved in wars
- Poor money management
- Default
- Poor credit
- Laziness
- Tax dodgers
- Not paying back loans
- Lending money irresponsibly
- Anyone moving through his lawn
- Austria
- Outsiders
- Being a mercenary
- Unnecessary warfare
- Not doing work
- His height
- Being teased about his height
- Missing a target
- Poor quality guns
- Anyone getting close to Liechtenstein
- Anyone getting closer than a rifle length from him
- High overhead
- Low income
- Choosing sides
- Not stating one’s opinion
Strengths:
+ Marksmanship
His aim with a gun is unparalleled and the only time he misses is when he misses on purpose
+ Banking
He has a natural talent for money management and puts it to good use, having some of the best banks in the world
+ Saving money
He spends as little as possible which has led him to be very rich and minimally affected when the economy turns upside down
+ Remaining neutral
He has not actively participated in a war since 1815 at the Congress of Vienna
+ Surviving
Having grown up on nothing, Switzerland is quite capable of taking care of himself
+ Training soldiers
Switzerland is a tough drill sergeant and works his men to their limits constantly, often unforgiving in breaks and relief from a tough workout
+ Engineering
He’s reasonably good with a drill and a wrench as a gun and is capable of fixing almost everything at an attempt to spend less money on servicemen
+ Punctuality
Being on time is of great importance to Switzerland and to him, late is the same as waiting for the bell tower to stop ringing before knocking on his door
+ Making chocolate
Switzerland has a long history of producing chocolates and is quite good at making them himself as well
+ Herding goats
Goat herding is a form of relaxation for Switzerland, that being one of the few times he can enjoy nature and the beauty of his mountains
+ Cooking
To save money, Switzerland does most of his cooking himself and can make a rather good tasting cheese fondue made from cheap products
+ Fighting
Switzerland spent quite a lot of his childhood fighting for other countries as a mercenary and is quite good at what he does, currently having great military strength despite his size and neutral position
Weaknesses:
- Frugality
He spends as little as possible, opting for the cheap goods rather than the expensive and higher quality items even though he can afford them
- Shoot first, ask later
Switzerland is quick to pull out his gun and shoot at anything that moves without questioning the reasons behind suspicious activity
- His height
He is very sensitive about his height especially in comparison to the other German nations often opting to shoot at anyone who comments on it with incredible accuracy
- Over protectiveness
He absolutely adores Liechtenstein and does everything in his power to keep her safe from the dangers of the world regardless of her opinion on the matter, big brother always knows best
- Cute drawings
While it is recognized that Switzerland draws rather cute pictures, he doesn’t consider himself a very good artist and refuses to show his pictures to anyone but Liechtenstein when she asks
- Taxation
He will tax anything and everything from parking vehicles to using the bathroom and many of his taxes are quite steep, however, they provide him with a high income and the profits only add to his ever increasing wealth
- Relaxing
Switzerland is almost always in a state of excitement and anxiety, something which only causes him to pull out his gun and shoot something at a much faster rate than normal, calming down does not comprehend with him
- Smiling
What is there to smile about except for Liechtenstein?
Fears:
- Being invaded
- Losing Liechtenstein
- Having to take sides in a war
- Needing to save Austria yet again
- Missing a target
- Running out of bullets
- Making poor investments
- Losing the Alps
- Being in another civil war
Secrets:
* He really likes the pajamas that Liechtenstein made for him
* He’ll spend a lot of money on the best gun on the market, but not food
* He sometimes goes yodeling on the Alps when absolutely no one is around to hear him
* He doesn’t like dogs
* He likes the name Helvetica better than Switzerland
* He likes Geneva
* He has all his cantons perfectly trained as soldiers
* He’s fluent in English, though pretends not to be
* He’s really subconscious about his height
Any Quirks/Habits:
* He always busy the cheapest goods he can find
* He keeps a lot of money tucked away in various parts of his house for safe keeping
* He treats most situations as if it were a military mission
* He shoots anything that moves if it’s in his yard
* His guns are loaded with live ammo almost all the time
* He expects everyone to express their own opinions regardless of how controversial they are
* He often criticizes the economies of others when they are in a rut
Overall Personality:
At first glance, Switzerland seems to be very reclusive and stand-offish. He doesn’t initiate dialogue with anyone and never invites anyone to his house voluntarily. He lives alone with Liechtenstein in his house surrounded by the Alps. He is always advocating for peace and quiet and even has a rule stating that after ten at night, no disruptive noise can be made. This he strictly enforces with his gun. Any disruption to the peace will be dealt with immediately. He hates outsiders and intruders with a passion.
Also, his guns rarely go unnoticed. Despite being neutral and peaceful in most situations, Switzerland loves his guns and isn’t afraid to use them. He has great military strength and is constantly training his troops even though no one would be stupid enough to invade Switzerland. He keeps his cantons in a rigorous training regime and will use any means necessary to get the desired result. Switzerland could make a professional soldier out of anyone except maybe his sister.
His temper is also quite violent and quick to flare up. He yells a lot for a variety of reasons and makes threats, none of which he backs down on. Notably, his temper is particularly violent when someone isn’t stating their opinion or when someone is cracking jokes about his height. Angering the man with the gun is usually a bad idea. Invading his personal space of a rifle length in all directions is a bad idea, too. Switzerland demands his personal space and will forcibly remove anyone who infringes on it.
When it comes to spending, Switzerland tries to spend as little money as possible and will carefully count out every penny. He cares a lot about money and will openly condemn anyone who throws it about recklessly. Switzerland is very careful with his expenditures and will do anything no matter how unpleasant to cut a few extra cents off his bill. Taxes in Switzerland are very high and he will tax everything if only to make an extra dollar.
His good money management has made Switzerland one of the world’s leading bankers and his economy and currency are very stable. He can live in relative peace even as the world around him is afraid of massive debt and inflation. He will accept almost anyone’s money into his banks since he doesn’t care who his clients are so long as he makes a profit. Everything is for coming out on top financially.
Regarding Liechtenstein, Switzerland adores his younger sister and will do almost anything for her. However, he tries very hard to protect her from the evils of the world and takes time to educate her on good financial decisions and how to defend herself should her little country be invaded. Otherwise, he is in charge of all the border control of her nation and would gladly protect her with his life should the situation become that dire. He dotes on her like a daughter, nothing more, nothing less.
One of the few things Switzerland really hates is being kept waiting. Time is like an investment. One should make the most of it, but never be careless or waste it. Wasting his time usually amounts to him using the offender as target practice for either himself or one of his cantons. Either works so long as his standard of punctuality is maintained. Even the buses and trains leave exactly on time to the second.
While Switzerland does care a lot about the environment, it’s not to the same degrees as some of the other nations. He keeps his nations clean and tidy by spending huge amounts of time cleaning it up from all the grime and filth that it collects in a day. He has a reputation to uphold and will go to any length to maintain his good reputation.
It may come as a surprise to know that Switzerland is a rather good judge of fine wine. If he had to pick one alcoholic drink he liked best, hands down it would be wine and champagne. Red wine is preferred over white wine, but both are liked more than beer or any other alcoholic beverage. Part of this is due to French and Italian influence despite being of German descent.
In an attempt to increase the safety of himself, Liechtenstein, and his home, Switzerland regularly rigs his property with various traps and snares. He can get rather creative when it comes to preparing everything and walking blindly into a trap is simple without a map giving the type and location of every trap on the premises. Some of the measures are to deter Italy from streaking through his lawn to visit Germany, though anyone foolish enough to walk through Switzerland’s lawn at night can meet a rather nasty surprise at every turn. Switzerland must have the latest technology for military use.
Trying to win over Switzerland’s heart is a lost cause to begin with. His violent and militant personality aren’t horrendously attractive and he doesn’t get drunk enough to do completely idiotic things nor will he ever agree to taking off any articles of clothing except maybe a coat in hot weather. He really only likes Liechtenstein, but even that isn’t in a romantic fashion.
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I'm the hero!
1291-1515: Old Swiss Confederacy
1291: Switzerland is born
1315: Battled at Morgarten, Decisive battle against Habsburgs
1332: Lucerne joins Swiss Confederacy
1351: Zurich joins Swiss Confederacy in a strategic alliance
1352: Glarus and Zug join Swiss Confederacy, all located around Lake Lucerne
1353: Bern joins Swiss Confederacy
1386: Battle of Sempach
1388: Battle of Nafels; Habsburgs defeated
1403-1440: Ticino conquered, Switzerland expands to the south
1415: Aargau conquered, Habsburgs banned from Swiss Confederacy
1440-1446: Old Zurich War, Zurich allies with Habsburgs against Schwyz and Glarus
1460: Thurgau conquered, Pope bans Duke Friedrich IV
1474-1477: Burgundian Wars, Duke Charles of Burgundy defeated by Swiss Confederacy
1481: Fribourg and Solothurn join Swiss Confederacy
1499: Swabian War: Switzerland becomes de facto independent
1501: Basel and Schaffhausen join Switzerland against German Empire
1513: Appenzell joins Swiss Confederacy
1515: Battle of Marignano, Swiss defeated by French and Italians
1523-1536: Protestant Reformation
1523: Reformation in Zurich, Zwingli
1524-1528: Reformation movement spreads to Northern Switzerland
1529-1531: Civil War, Zwingli dies in Battle of Kappel
1536: Reformation in Geneva, Calvin
1536: Vaud conquered by Bernese troops
1545-1563: Start of Catholic Counter Reformation
1577-1580: Jesuit colleges establies in Lucerne and Fribourg
1597: Appenzell split into two half-cantons due to religion
1600-1798: Ancien Regime, Swiss Confederacy of thirteen cities
1618-1648: Thirty Years’ War, Switzerland remains neutral
1648: Treaty of Westphalia, Europe accepts Switzerland as an independent nation
1653: Peasants’ War, revolt of peasants between Lucerne and Bern against undemocratic rule, rebels are defeated
1656, 1712: Civil Wars, religious antagonism, end of Catholic hegemony
1700-1800: Private postal service connects Lucerne and Milan once a week
1717-172: Wilchingen peasant revolt
1719-1722: Werdenberg peasant revolt
1723: Peasant revolt against domination of Vaud by Bern
1726-1739: Jura revolt against rule of prince-bishop of Basel
1755: Leventina revolt against rule of Uri
1761: Helvetic Society formed by Swiss scholars, advocates for political reform
1764: Textile machines invented in the UK
1773: Jesuit order dissolved by Pope
1777: Johann Georg Stokar pleads to Helvetic Society for centralized republic with equal rights for all citizens
1781: Chenaux revolt against rule of Friebourg
1789: French Revolution
1790-1797: Revolts all over Switzerland, peasants demand equal rights and against taxes
1798: Swiss Revolution, Farmers in occupied territories become citizens, French troops support revolutionaries in western Switzerland
1798-1802: Helvetic Republic
1801: Swiss engineers construct their own textile machines
1803: Start of chocolate production
1803-1815: Mediation, civil war brings Helvetic Republic to an end, Napoleon enforces a moderately federalist constitution
1805: Simplon Road is first modern alpine crossing road useable for wagons
1807: Ramparts razed in Bern to boost traffic
1814: Jesuit order restored by Pope
1814: Textile machines replace hand production
1815: Canton laws in Zurich and Thurgau prohibit child labor below ten years
1815-1830: Restoration, Loose Confederacy reestablished with twenty-two cantons, liberals as minority, international Congress of Vienna confirms Switzerland’s borders and neutrality
1817: 3 000 Swiss leave for North America, South America, and Russia to escape starvation and entrepreneurs
1818: First steamboat in Switzerland on Lake Geneva
1830-1848: Regeneration, Second French Revolution, increase of liberals in Switzerland, some cantons with liberal governments create new constitutions, revolutions occur across Europe
1831: Traditional textile works in Ulster burn a new factory
1832: Anti-modernism, Pope Grego XVI condemns modern culture, Catholic clergy against liberal reforms
1833: Basel split, peasants demand political rights and declares autonomy
1833: Zurich introduces ramparts
1839: David Friedrich Strauss, liberal protestant theologian, appointed professor at Zurich University
1840-1860: Large numbers of people fall into poverty
1841: Dissolution of Monasteries, liberal Catholic Augustin Keller protests against church propaganda and proposes dissolution of monasteries in Aargau
1844: Lucerne adopts conservative parliament and Jesuits are put in charge of educating priests
1845: Armed radicals march for Lucerne, defeated by standing army
1845: Catholic politicians falls back into old schemes of religious antagonism and create Special Alliance (Sonderbund) of Catholic cantons with conservative governments, frustrates conservative and liberal protestants
1846: Glarus limits daily work to fifteen hours for adults and fourteen hours for children under fourteen years
1847: First railways from Durich to Baden
1847: Civil War, General Dofour leads federal troops to victory, leader of conservatives flees to Rome
1848: Revolutions in France and Austria
1848: New Federal Constitution
1849: First asphalt road from Val de Travers
1850: First Swiss stock exchange opens in Geneva
1850: Geneva introduces ramparts
1855: Zurich to Winterthur line introduced
1858: Hauenstein Tunner on railway line Basel to Olten
1863: Thomas Cook organizes tours to Switzerland, start of mass tourism
1864: Zurich to Lucerne line introduced
1864: Synthetic colors produced in Basel
1866: Babyfood based on milk, sweeteners, flour introduced
1866: Equal rights for Jewish minority in Switzerland
1871: First Vatican Council declares infallibility of Pope, over 400 000 Swiss Catholics leave church, Bishop Lachat of Basel tries to exclude priests against the dogma, forced to resign by canton governments along with supporting priests
1871: Cogwheel Railway to Mt. Rigi, invented by Niklaus Riggenbach
1874: Total Revision of Constitution, end of religious struggles, Marriage, birth/death certificates all controlled by state instead of Church, Jesuit order banned from Switzerland
1874: Optional Referendum introduced, 30 000 citizens may demand for a referendum on any law passed by parliament, unique element to Switzerland’s Direct Democracy
1876: Stock exchange in Basel opens
1877: Federal Factory Law limits daily work to eleven hours for adults and restricts work at night and prohibits work for children under fourteen years
1877: Thomas Edison adds microphone to telephone invented by Philipp Reis and improved by Alexander Bell
1877: Stock exchange in Zurich opens
1880: Public Telephone Networks in Zurich
1880-1881: Johanna Spyri writes Heidi
1881: Public telephone network in Basel and Bern
1882: Gotthard Tunnel, first alpine railway line (Basel to Lucerne to Gotthard to Bellinzona to Milan)
1882-1883: 13 500 people leave Switzerland to the United States of America, Argentina, Canada, and Brazil
1883, 1886: Soup powder in bags and soup cubes are invented
1883: Public telephone network in Geneva
1875: Milk chocolate invented by Daniel Peter in Vevey
1879: Melting chocolate invented by Rodolphe Lindt in Bern
1891: Popular Initiative introduced, 50 000 citizens may demand for a partial change to the constitution and enforce a referendum on the proposal against the will of parliament and the government
1891: Joseph Zemp elected as first conservative member of the government
1896: Start of Car production
1898: Parliament decides to nationalize all major railway lines
1902: Swiss Federal Railways starts operation
1903: Start of truck production
1912: Jungfrau Railway is highest railway station in Europe
1914-1918: World War 1, Switzerland remains neutral, population split in terms of sympathy
1918-1933: Economic Crisis, conflict, strikes, world economic crisis
1918: General Strike, Social Democrats and Trade unions demand for change to proportional representation and women’s suffrage, limit of working time to forty-eight hour week, social security insurance, governments puts down stroke by force, eventually complied with proposals
1919: Proportional Representation introduced for National Council election, Free Democratic Party loses majority
1920: League of Nations founded in Geneva
1922: Lausanne Radio is the first Swiss radio station to broadcast a public program to a third of Europe
1926: Automated Public Telephone Exchange in Bern
1929: World Economic Crisis hits Switzerland severely, Rudolf Minger represents farmer’s and craftsmen’s party and elected member of the government
1931: National Radio Transmitters are built in Beromunster, Sottens, and Monte Ceneri
1933-1939: Spiritual Defense, Hitler is seen as a danger to Swiss independence, German refugees accepted, Socialists and trade unions seek to cooperate with liberals against fascism
1937: Peace Agreement between trade unions and entrepreneurs in Swiss machine construction and electric industries
1939-1945: World War II, Switzerland remains neutral, some trade with Hitler to survive, rigid refugee politics, uncritical collaboration in cases of looted assets and accepting stolen gold
1943: Ernst Nobs elected first social democrat member of Swiss government
1948: Social Security Insurance introduced
1959: Magic Formula concerning election of Switzerland’s government, all major parties (Free Democrats, Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, Swiss People’s Party) represented with 2+2+2+1 membership
1963: Switzerland joins the Council of Europe
1971: Women’s suffrage accepted in national referendum
1979: Conton Jura separates from Bern
1984: Elisabeth Kopp elected first female member of federal government
1992: Switzerland decides not to join the EU
1999: Revision of Constitution does not change any rights or competences, replaces original paragraphs in a more modern structure
2000: Bilateral Accords with EU approved in a referendum
2002: Switzerland joins the United Nations
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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"!
See Serbia and Norway.
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I Summon thee from far away lands, come forth!
You called?
Timezone: GMT -6 (CST)
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