Post by Amsterdam on Apr 2, 2011 20:24:56 GMT -6
[/quote]Bastian Daan van Rotmensen
-Amsterdam, Netherlands-
"Tip toe through the window. By the window, that's where I'll be. Come tip toe through the tulips with me."
Name: Bastian Daan "Ams" van Rotmensen
Origin: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Gender: Male
Orientation: Bi, but leans toward younger girls
Religion: There is something out there... but he shouldn't have too many rules...
Birthday: October 27, but prefers to celebrate June 12th instead (though it is a somber celebration/mourning)
Age: 16
Personality:
Ams is a lot like an alley cat in a way (though he is terrified of cats...), and somewhat childish. He wants his way all the time and gets annoyed with whoever keeps him from it. He's very relaxed and prefers to be either with his flowers or socializing with a "doll" or something attractive. Bastian is exceedingly playful and enjoys teasing or harassing those who interest him or those he wants to be friends with. Any friend of his must deal with quite a bit of whining, ranting, and being lovingly (though it sometimes is hard to see that) harassed. He is that kid on the playground that won't stop pushing you down or poking you with a stick, however, if you get hurt he will be all over you in a second to nurse you to help and play counselor.
Ams does enjoy some more "negative" practices, such as smoking pot and a bit of drinking (though he has a generally low tolerance that he is trying to build up). He lost a girl he never admitted to liking, possibly loving, and has never really gotten over it much like how he has issues with getting over other events... Because of this he's kinda focused onto younger "dolls." Even though he's aged, his interest bracket hasn't seemed to raise at all (8-16). He believes himself to be a gentleman and would never hurt one of his" dolls," especially a "baby doll" since it's a crime to make a "baby doll" cry. He tries to care for and protect these "dolls." He is persistent in seeking what he wants and can be a bit single-minded, often forgetting consequences or other important things. Don't be surprised to literally find him in a tree outside a window trying to convince the inhabitant to come out with him or let him in.
When you have his eye it's not going to leave. He is very loyal to those he trusts and gives his allegiance to... though if you lose the loyalty you may never get it back. He prefers to not have to change relationships and will shirk blame or explain it away. If you are "fortunate" enough to be a trusted friend, be prepared to have him show up randomly to complain or just to be company. Don't be surprised if he doesn't respect your personal space, you should have figured that out by now. He can be a bit... moody or mercurial, but he's pretty predictable. Good summary would be to call him a skinny grabby handed attention seeking alley brat who can't keep his hands out of other people's cookie jars, then claims they were his.
Likes:
Anne
Worth
younger girls
girls in white dresses or sun dresses
bicycling
cute things
Canada
Swiss Chocolate
Classical and Pop music
Philosophy
People with a positive outlook
Horticulture- flowers
Dislikes:
Germany (extremely sore about WW2 and what happened to his Jewish population)
Uncute things
Dallas
America's singing (not performers, just America's)
Bigotry/Intolerance
Being cooped up
Restrictions/people who are uptight
Marijuana Laws in other countries
Being rushed
animals, except birds, rabbits, or mice
March
Pessimists
Appearance:
Hair: Blonde but dyes it red
Eyes: Grey typically, though have turned into a blue-grey when he feels passionate about something
Skin: light tannish color and well cared for, though hands are calloused from writing and gardening
Height: 5'5"
Build: tall and lanky, though does have lean muscles which make him a bit heavier than you would think
Relationships:
*these are his views of them
Netherlands:
His Nation, who he respects and will actually obey... generally. Someone he looks up to.
America:
He is a superpower not to cross and generally someone you would want to party with, but it's a shame he is uptight about certain things and someone who's voice can be/is very grating to Bastian.
Dallas and Forth Worth:
Dallas is not cute and someone he sorta fears and is annoyed with. Worth however is adorable, but can be exceedingly frustrating. He screwed up with Worth from in his view a misunderstanding that he seriously effed up. He wants friendship from Worth at the least, but is terrified how to get it now. He doesn't want to upset/hurt him any more. He will settle for antagonizing Dallas.
Croatia:
She is one woman who he feels to be a mother and while he does occasionally wonder how it would be to go after that "type" the thought of seeking her makes him too nervous and slightly ill. She is someone who has had much loss and he feels he can confide in her... though she doesn't seem to approve of all his... habits.
Spain:
The nation has an attitude he likes, but tension between Spain and the Netherlands historically make Bastian unsure if he really wants to try and "hang" with the other.
Germany:
He can't stand him due to WWII. He will be civil, but while Nations have a long time to get over and forgive for the past and what they are influenced or forced to do... He just can't forgive him for causing one of his most beloved and likely first loves to die.
Prussia:
He feels the guy is full of himself and also resents him for actions in WWII.
History:
The earliest recorded use of the name "Amsterdam" is from a certificate (Oct. 27th, 1275), when the inhabitants, who had built a bridge with a dam across the Amstel, were exempted from paying a bridge toll by Count Floris V. By 1327, the name had developed into Aemsterdam. It was possibly farmed for peat earlier than the 10th century. Amsterdam was granted city rights in either 1300 or 1306. From the 14th century on, Amsterdam flourished (trade with the Hanseatic League). In 1345, the miracle of Amsterdam (eucharist vomited up whole then would not be burned) made the city an important place of pilgrimage until the adoption of the Protestant faith. In the 16th century, the Dutch rebelled against Philip II of Spain and his successors resulting in the Eighty Years War which resulted in Dutch independence.
Dutch Revolt leader William the Silent helped make the Dutch Republic become known for its relative religious tolerance. Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, Huguenots from France, prosperous merchants and printers from Flanders, and economic and religious refugees from the Spanish-controlled parts of the Low Countries found safety in Amsterdam. The influx of Flemish printers and the city's intellectual tolerance made Amsterdam a centre for the European free press.
The 17th Century Amsterdam experienced its Golden Age and became known as the wealthiest city in the world. A world-wide trade network formed sailing from Amsterdam to the Baltic Sea, North America, and Africa, as well as present-day Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Brazil. Amsterdam's merchants had the largest share in both the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company. These companies acquired overseas possessions that later became Dutch colonies. Amsterdam was Europe's most important point for the shipment of goods and was the leading Financial Center of the world. In 1602, the Amsterdam office of the Dutch East India Company became the world's first stock exchange by trading in its own shares. Amsterdam lost over 10% of its population to plague in 1623–1625, and again in 1635–1636, 1655, and 1664. The population rose from 50,000 to 200,000 mainly from immigration.
Prosperity declined during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The wars of the Dutch Republic with England and France took their toll; during the Napoleonic Wars, Holland was absorbed into the French Empire (making Amsterdam's importance the lowest). The later establishment of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815 marked a turning point.
Amsterdam's second Golden Age was around the end of the 19th century. New museums, a train station, and the Concertgebouw were built; in this same time, the Industrial Revolution reached the city. The Amsterdam-Rhine Canal was dug to give Amsterdam a direct connection to the Rhine, and the North Sea Canal was dug to give the port a shorter connection to the North Sea. Both projects dramatically improved commerce with the rest of Europe and the world.
Shortly before the First World War, the city began expanding, and new suburbs were built. Netherlands remained neutral in this war, but suffered a food shortage, and heating fuel became scarce. The shortages sparked riots in which several people were killed known as the Aardappeloproer (Potato rebellion). People started looting stores and warehouses in order to get supplies, mainly food.
Germany invaded the Netherlands on May 10th, 1940 and took control of the country. Some Amsterdam citizens sheltered Jews, thereby exposing themselves and their families to the high risk of being imprisoned or sent to concentration camps. More than 100,000 Dutch Jews were deported to Nazi concentration camps. One of the most famous being Anne Frank. At the end of the Second World War, communication with the rest of the country broke down, and food and fuel became scarce. Many citizens traveled to the countryside to forage. Dogs, cats, raw sugar beets, and Tulip bulbs—cooked to a pulp—were consumed to stay alive. Most of the trees in Amsterdam were cut down for fuel, and all the wood was taken from the apartments of deported Jews.
Many new suburbs, such as Osdorp, Slotervaart, Slotermeer, and Geuzenveld, were built in the years after the Second World War. These suburbs contained many public parks and wide, open spaces, and the new buildings provided improved housing conditions with larger and brighter rooms, gardens, and balconies. Because of the war and other incidents of the 20th century, almost the entire city center had fallen into disrepair. As society was changing, politicians and other influential figures made plans to redesign large parts of it. There was an increasing demand for office buildings and new roads as the automobile became available to most common people. A metro started operating in 1977 between the new suburb of Bijlmer and the centre of Amsterdam. Further plans were to build a new highway above the metro to connect the Central Station and city center with other parts of the city.
The cultural revolution of the 1960s and 1970s made Amsterdam the magisch centrum (magical centre) of Europe. The use of soft drugs was tolerated and this policy made the city a popular destination for hippies. Squatting became widespread. Riots and clashes with the police were frequent. A grim atmosphere took hold of Amsterdam. Anarchists, such as the Provos and a local political movement Kabouterbeweging, wanted to change the local society. Squatting of empty buildings and buildings used for other purposes than living led to a strong confrontation with contractors, who were aligned with the Dutch Mafia. The construction of the underground Metro under the oldest parts of the city also led to widespread protests due to the impact of the construction on heritage buildings and local residents.
The incorporated large-scale demolitions began in Amsterdam's formerly Jewish neighbourhood. Smaller streets, such as the Jodenbreestraat, were widened and saw almost all of their houses demolished. During the destruction's peak, the Nieuwmarktrellen (Nieuwmarkt riots) broke out, where people expressed their fury about the demolition caused by the restructuring of the city. As a result, the demolition was stopped, and the highway was never built, with only the metro being finished. Only a few streets remained widened. The new city hall was built on the almost completely demolished Waterlooplein. Meanwhile, large private organisations, such as Stadsherstel Amsterdam, were founded with the aim of restoring the entire city centre. Although the success of this struggle is visible today, efforts for further restoration are still ongoing. The entire city centre has reattained its former splendor and, as a whole, is now a protected area. Many of its buildings have become monuments, and in July 2010 the Grachtengordel (Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht) was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
During the 1970s the number of foreign immigrants, primarily from Suriname, Turkey and Morocco grew strongly. This led to an exodus of people to the 'growth cities' of Purmerend, Almere and other cities near Amsterdam. However, neighbourhoods like the Pijp and the Jordaan, which had previously been working class, became sought out places of residence for the newly wealthy yuppies and students. Amsterdam that used to be a poor city in the Netherlands turned into an economically rich city thanks to the new economical trend towards a service-economy instead of an industrial economy.
In 1992, an El Al cargo plane crashed in the Bijlmermeer in Amsterdam Zuidoost. This disaster, called the Bijlmerramp, caused the death of at least 43 people. At the beginning of the millennium social problems such as safety, ethnic discrimination and segregation between religious and social groups began to develop. 45% of the population of Amsterdam has non-Dutch parents. Large social groups are people from Surinam, the Dutch Antilles, Morocco and Turkey. Amsterdam is characterized by its (perceived) social tolerance and diversity. The social tolerance was endangered by the murder of Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh on 2 November 2004 by a Mohamed Bouyeri, an islamic fundamentalist. The mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, and his alderman for integration Ahmed Aboutaleb formulated a policy of "keeping things together" which involves social dialogue, tolerance and harsh measures against those who break the law.
(basically all from Wikipedia, www.amsterdam.info/basics/history/ , www.lonelyplanet.com/the-netherlands/amsterdam/history )
Hobbies:
Girl watching (especially at parks)
Gardening
Bird watching
playing dress up and making videos with his girls
Random Quirks:
He can't always handle cute things and often has to look away to contain himself
Kisses flowers to feel the softness
Hung up over the loss of a girl he fell in love with (Anne)
Lolicon:
*8-14 he won't think of anything but how cute they are and at most chaste kisses and cuddles
*14 he might get into a bit more on the groping side, but nothing to make his doll nervous or uncomfortable
*15-16 is set by the doll
16+ For guy or girl is rare as he has first love loss issues and lets the other decide/assumes what they might like but will stop if given any idea to
Terrified of most animals (especially large animals)
He is severely depressed on June 12th, but it's also a day he celebrates
Cannot swim... at all
Unless he is carrying a "doll" or helping someone down, once he's in a tree he can't really get down... safely
Roleplay Sample: [quote*]...
Roleplayer: North (for the cbox: BastianDaanAmsterdam)
Password: Hetalia Rocks
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