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{Presenting The Ramblings of Ihateit}

{Roma being Roma}

{Iso and Grilled Duck}

{I swear we don't do this}

{I thought this was my job}

{Sexy Swiss Sniper?}

{Talking 'bout the Twins and Calling Yourself 'You'}

{DAT CASH}

{Cannibals}

{we have an R-rated thread}

{pasta so good it makes Roma cry}

{Floriana}Because I wanted to try playing a kid character and I like playing characters not widely known, hence I pick her. I was also intrigued with why I don't know much about one of our neighbors. I had to use proxy and went to the uncharted regions of the internet for research. It was an eye-opening experience, but I couldn't fit them all in the body of a 10-year-old. So I chose to show those things subtly. Somewhere in the depths of my mind she had grown older, still stubborn, and still missing some members of her family.

Maybe after I do more research she will be resurfaced.

{Megumi}In his canonical characteristic, Kiku is often portrayed more like an old man. Hence I made his nyo counterpart younger and identify closer with the Japanese pop subculture. Hima only noted that she's a 'yamato nadeshiko' and she cut her hair when Japan finally ended its isolation - showing her will to open herself to other people; so I look for YN portrayal in 21st century as Megumi's base and added more spice later. She first surfaced when I looked at the character list and thought that we need a detective character; or sort of a civilian who goes to investigate curious cases on their own. Megumi seized that chance.

I also can identify to her in some aspects/recognize her trait in other people: she has online and offline lives, both seemingly of two different persons; her liking to gothic lolita fashion and fanfiction (ayyyy). It's also fun playing a character who often portrayed as shy working in an industry that needs a lot of confidence. And she does have a big confidence to do cosplay.

Under all the bright layers, in her core she is no difference than Kiku.

{Amos}You guys probably has heard how much I babble in cbox about him. Amos started as the untouched, deepest layer of Nesia whom I chose to bring into the surface. I like to include the country's geography and landscape in my muses, that's why Amos is calmer than Nesia. The eastern part of Indonesia has deeper seas and denser jungles. The people itself look different than the western islanders. The Austromelanesid had been roaming the islands long before the Austronesian arrived too, so I made his age older.

Most Indonesia OCs, male or female, often starts from the western side with a dash of eastern side. Physically they look more Austronesian too. So in this AU I want to make an OC based on people of eastern islands, Maluku and Western Papua specifically. Then I realize I have no idea about their history/culture save from what I can gather from the internet (and I still believe there's more than meets the eye). Besides, playing him gives me challenge and advantage: he's more similar to me in terms of temper, but way older with different way to perceive things, as opposed to he younger Nesia. During his creation, his family began to grow a life on their own too. I especially like his mother Saraiya, to me she portrays the tough Papuan women.

Probably TND is the only place where I can play him |D

{Katya}Ukraine surfaced in early 2013 during my threading with Roma's Russia. I thought it'd be nice to have a soft character close to him. At that time I only know her characterization from the strips and anime - those weren't my favorite. As I looked for a way to make her more fitting in the TND's crime theme, inspiration hit me in the shower.

What if she is a lawless, but her job is not completely against the law? She becomes part of the criminal because of her allegiance choice. The character itself has been shown as motherly, so it was easy to put an emphasize on it. And years ago I bought Florence Nightingale's comic-biography which I felt fit Katya nicely (bonus: at this moment I had no idea that Crimea was a part of Ukraine orz). So thaaat's how I acquire Katya.

After I made myself more comfortable in her skin, I brought her to other places but... for some reason, apart from TND, every places where I app as her died as soon as Katya got accepted. Which is plain weird |D but anyways, making apps help me to understand her better; despite I'm still struggling with Ukrainian history and geography and culture - but I fall in love with the embroidery! It's pretty ;w;b I can incorporate the agriculture part as well into her personality and hobbies. See how her fridge never empty no matter how many people coming and going?

Personality wise, Katya is everything I am not which poses a challenge to master her: motherly, kind, protective, organized - imagine the perfect mother. I molded her around that image too and pretty recently I discover a downside of that mother trope and plan to bring it into the light during RPing here =w=
some things I can relate to her are being the oldest sister and the button problems pfff. To make up the canon characterization, I made her emotionally sensitive yet controlled, but possessed physical strength. But her strong point isn't in battle power, so to speak, instead she rather becomes a shield who protects her charges. I think it contrasts her siblings who certainly will fare better if violence erupts.

{Nesia}Mmmmmm where do I start-

I never pay much attention to Hetalia until mid 2012 when a friend of mine wouldn't stop fangirling about the Maaf doujin. So I gave it a shot, then start watching the Hetalia anime and read the comic strips. What got me into Hetalia was not the fanservice material, but rather the idea of anthropomorphic countries itself and how they changed (and remain unchanged) through the course of history.

On a one boring day, I went to omegle and put 'Hetalia' on my interest. Then I found a link to a chatzy room for Hetalia RPers given by an omegle stranger. I didn't RP much, only watched others interacted, but it made me interested in roleplaying. The only local place I found had been closed awhile ago. Then I kinda forgot about it until I stumbled upon Icy's TND ad on HetaLJ. I checked the forum, went through the rules and fact and whatnot. It piqued my interest so bad I decided to take a plunge (two days later I regretted this decision, scolding my impulsive self |D") despite my non-existent knowledge in lit RP and never wrote anything in English aside from schoolwork (there's one Death Note fanfic though...). With my lack of knowledge and the short time to complete the app, I chose the safe route by making an OC instead. Because I was also too lazy to research another country, so--

To be honest I was surprised I got accepted. She wasn't fully fleshed yet and I knew it wasn't my best work. Thanks to Capt and Roma, I learned more about roleplay as I write post after post. A month later I built up courage to join MoF because everyone always talked about it XD and here was the phase where I moved from the human skin into a nation's embodiment. Their application was more challenging too, prompting me to dive deeper than I've done. Then after MoF... I forgot which ones I joined pfff but anyways, there were around ten places. The AU nature forced me to explore Nesia more and more so I could fit her in the universe without making her OOC. Soon when I looked back at my TND app I realized how far she had changed, hence I revamped her. Even then, I still feel that she was incomplete.

Long before I got into the fandom, the local Hetalia fanbase itself had been filled with several versions of Indonesia OCs. Some of their characterization are great, okay-yet-skin-deep, some are... IMO, unfit for a nation spirit. There are blatant sues or wish fulfillment self inserts too. Some not-so-good portrayals that make me goes "uh nope" are: moe, "she's-so-beautiful-everyone-wants-to-date-her" (which stems from the believe that our rich natural resources attracts foreigners - it's true - but some writers make "rich natural resources" equals to physical beauty and I'm like oh god noooo how could you--), physically looks like our beauty standard (which I believe kinda disregard the fact that our people tend to have darker skin), still thin with big appetite (this is just a personal preference and an overused trope, no offense), and described right away from the start as alluringly beautiful (again, personal preference, but I let it pass if it was told from other character's perspective). Then again, I'd like to think they are merely the tip of the iceberg and the writers know their OCs better than me /shrugs

Those made me very critical towards Nesia, assessing over and over to keep her from being too close to sue level. I avoided the major fan-headcanon until she's solid enough to stand unaffected, until I can answer why she does this or behaves that way. I also found some good OCs, which triggered my pokemon trainer episode bahaha (I WANT TO BE THE VERY BEEEEEST~). I keep asking myself about which angle is the best to portray her. Our people are still attached to each own traditional culture, so I want to include it too in her bio. But. I. Can't. Choose! I could just include the prominent cultures, but that wouldn't be fair. To me, Indonesia is all of them under one nation - like our motto said, so I need a new approach.

Hetalia is a show that brings up stereotypes a lot, therefore I use the same approach. When we meet a new person, the first thing we'd notice is their face and body, then their name. So what the name Indonesia evokes in most foreigners' minds? That's why I made Nesia's physical body resembles typical Javanese/Balinese people. As the name itself (I'm sure you guys still remember this), I took 'Nesia' from the nation's name, a term coined by an English ethnologist from Greek word nèsos. In 1928, during Sumpah Pemuda (Youth Oath), the term is chosen to name the nation, the people and the language. Besides, Nesia is a common name nowadays (facebook says there are 5k+ Nesia's; I personally befriended one or two). Her last name, Notonegoro, came from a prophecy made by Kediri king, Jayabaya. While most people go without surname here, Notonegoro can be a surname or just simply 'name'. It also means 'able to govern a country' in Javanese so I feel it fits Nesia, while also showing one of our most prominent culture. Annisa is Arab for 'the woman'; a common female Muslim name that shows the biggest religion in Indonesia. Pertiwi is a common female name and the name of our official national personification Ibu Pertiwi/Mother Earth, identified with the Hindu goddess Prithvi; this name not only shows the connection with our official personification, but also highlighting the Hindu influence that has been around since more than two millennium ago and you can see the trace in our temples especially in Bali. Ingkiriwang actually a surname for Minahasan people of Manado in North Sulawesi. It means "(who) comes from the sky/slope of a mountain". I chose that because I need a name from middle or eastern Indonesia, and the meaning itself is nice. I guess it fits our folklore and traditional beliefs that our best leaders are sent directly from the sky.

Of course I still can't fit all the cultural tidbits, so I make them show in her likes/hobbies or during the roleplay. Which fits how we usually know people; the longer you hang around someone, the more you know. And it gives me time to properly research the culture too. I choose the age of early twenties because currently we're still struggling to handle our own economy and abundant resources (or lack thereof). Like humans, that age is the phase of finding oneself's place in the world.

In building her personality, I enjoy including things I recognize from everyday life and hated it XD but Nesia is a mix of contradictory traits, so I need to control the scale (in AUs) or find logical explanation. The contradictions show up because I want to include all social layers, education/health quality, things like that. Therefore, I love making her in AUs to showcase the variety of Nesia from different angles. I'm glad I've overcame my fear to push her into the dark side of life too. Toying with her bad side is fun for me, because I know a lot from the real life and despise them. Yet for her, I want to show that this is the real Indonesia, as seen from within, with a shell that shapes like how foreigners see us. So yeah, we are more than meets the eye.

Prepare for surprises.

{01 || Pagilaran Tea Plantation and surrounding hills, Central Java}it's located south of my grandma's house. if we went further south we'd reach the volcanic complex







some pics from the plantation, all was taken during rain:





in case you can't read it, the building says "GRAHA Prof. ISO" or "Prof. Iso's Hall". It's the main office and shop.

{02 || Lawang Sewu, Semarang, Central Java}
originally a headquarter of Dutch East Indies' railway company (Spoorweg Nederlands Indie Maatschappij/NIS), its nickname which means "thousand doors" in Javanese came from the building's many doors. Finished in 1919. Lawang Sewu is famously known for its ghosts (though idk if there are any).


view from the middle yard.




the exhibition room depicting the restoration project


view of the hallway


you can learn about railway history in Indonesia here since it also functions as a museum.




views from the outside. also taken during rain.


the locomotive replica... or the real thing, I didn't ask.

{03 || Cats}



this one only comes home for food, then goes off just to return with battle scars

{This one is for Mona!}
Francis' hand stopped moving, his quill went back into the inkwell. The world was silent, too silent for his liking. Not even a single bird chirped outside as the night spread its mantle to the western horizon. Perhaps the world did silence itself, trying to understand the event that happened just half a day ago.

It was supposed to be a joyful occasion. A feast was held to celebrate Prince Feliciano's birthday. Yet what happened was close to a tragedy. Had she did not interfere, then the silence tonight would be replaced by the wailing of women and the ringing of the bells, mourning the loss of their princes.

The man glanced at his writing, then back to the unconscious young woman on the bed across the room. Before today, Francis knew her as Lady Sera from Russo family, suitor to the younger prince. But now... he sighed. He did not want to believe it, he wanted it to be a lie. How could he let Prince Feliciano, his student and distant kin, married an assassin who was sent to kill him? Furthermore, the assassin was not a part of some ragtag band. The assassins were an old order, the culprit of several deaths in the span of two centuries in the kingdom's history. Nobles, merchants and peasants alike had met their ends at the tip of their blades. So terrible was their reputation no one dared to say their name, afraid it would invite them into their house.

Not that they needed any.

Lord Francis Bonnefoy knew he would not have anything more to add into his writing until the woman spoke to him. So he closed his inkwell and rolled the parchment. A faint rustle came behind him, but the prince's mentor did not show any sign that he did notice it. He ignored the soft noises until a whispered question inquired his presence.

"You should not be alone here."

Despite having been weakened by her wounds, the woman looked as alert as a seasoned fighter. She sat on the bed with her back straight, bruised fists curled on the blanket. Francis, being a skilled fighter himself, was ready to react in case she decided to attack him. For a moment they only looked at each other. Waiting.

Then he smiled. "Good evening, miss. The guards are outside, perhaps listening as we speak now." He lied. Prince Feliciano did not want her room guarded like a prison cell. Nevertheless, the guards were stationed a bit far from this room, making sure no one come and go unnoticed. Francis took the candle on the desk, bringing the light as he stepped closer to the bed.

"You should be afraid."

"After what I saw at the feast?" he raised an eyebrow. "If that's what you mean, then yes, I am afraid."

"You don't seem hesitate to say so. You should leave."

Her words were spoken flatly, emotionless. They were not orders, just statements. Francis detected a faint threat within her voice, but he brushed it off. If the prince himself said he felt safe with Lady Se-- this woman, then he had no reason to feel afraid. She seemed to realize whatever she said would not affect him the way she wanted. Her eyes scanned the room briefly before returning to the blond man.

"I should be in jail."

This time Francis shook his head. "You've saved the princes' life. Why would we put you together with thieves and muggers?" He sat on the edge of the bed after placing the candle near the door. "You may want to lie down again, and I suggest you to do it. Your wounds will heal faster that way." His advice was received by a cold stare, yet he continued, "the healer will check on you in an hour or two. Maybe Feliciano himself will come."

Her apathetic demeanor cracked as the name escaped Francis' lips. Her lips parted and closed slowly, eyes widening as they stole a glance at the closed door.

"In the meantime..." Francis' voice stole her attention again. "Why don't you tell me a story?"

Confusion clouded her expression. "What if I refuse?"

"What if I tell you more about Feliciano after you give me the story?"

"Fine. What story?"

"Yours. About you."

"You are well-versed in history, Lord Bonnefoy. You know everything about us, more than an average peasant does."

"My knowledge comes from books. The kingdom's lore and old scrolls. Not from someone who has lived among... them," he paused, letting his words to soak into the woman's mind. "You will be the first person who share it to anyone."

She blinked and took a deep breath. "Do I have to tell you the interesting details too?"

"Just start from the beginning, I will listen to everything."

The woman leaned on the pillow. "Oh, but it's boring, my lord. I was a starving child without any guardians when they picked me. Everyone had experienced a similar thing: almost died from starvation during winter. They gave me food and clothes. I did not need any more reason than that to stay with them." Her voice was relax, like she was telling him her mundane daily life.

Francis nodded in response. He knew this already. Their members were the forgotten ones, the nameless, the poorest. People who needed protection the most.

"Like the other children, first I was taught how to steal. Fresh bread, cheese, sometimes clothes or more valuable items we can sell in the black market. Then we learned to trail certain people. As silent as possible. And then we reported back what we saw, hear and smell."

"This... is new," Francis commented. Now he knew how they find their targets.

"You will hear more new things from me, I presume." Her lips curled upwards a little. "Successful jobs brought rewards and holidays. Failures brought punishments, less meal and thinner clothes. I never failed, if you're curious my lord." For a second a smirk danced on her expression. "While everyone was taught how to kill, not all of us raised to be an assassin. Only the best ones did. The others then taught other skills so they could work as civilians. They are everywhere."

"How many...?"

The woman shrugged. "Could be tens of thousands."

"Oh..."

"You look surprised, my lord."

"No. No, I'm not..." Francis straightened his back, pulling his collar a little. It did surprise him. Three hundred was their greatest number as estimated by the scholars. "Please continue with your story."

"My scouting days ended when I made my first kill. I was eleven, and the target was a young woman. She was ugly, but once she had her blood splattered all over her face, she became prettier." The woman grinned. "I even painted her her bed red, decorated her pillows with--"

Francis raised his hand, his face pale. "Please..."

"Terribly sorry, my lord," he heard her apologized, but he knew she did not mean it. "I'll just say that my... hm, superiors were not pleased by my action. We kill clean and in silent, but I made a visual masterpiece instead. We do not play with the dead, but I did." She lowered her gaze, her shoulders shaking as a quiet laugh leaving her mouth. "It was fun."

The bedsheet felt colder on Francis' fingers. She was still smiling when their eyes met again. The bell had long stopped ringing. The world outside the bedroom was as silent as a grave.

"A couple of dead men and women later, I was given a task that would take me years to complete, as I needed to learn a handful of other skills I did not have at that time. And that brings us here." Her tone indicated that her story was over. It was quite strange for Francis, how she could tell him everything without hesitation once she started. Perhaps she had grown to enjoy the storytelling halfway. Then again, who sat before him was not a mere citizen. But an assassin who had seen death from a young age.

"So why you chose to protect Feliciano?" Francis asked, glad finally he could move to the main topic he had been wanting to know.

"He's not my main target-- it was the king. The other assassins you killed were meant to take care of the princes as I kill the king." She looked interested with her bruised hands.

Francis could close his eyes and see the event being replayed in his mind. A couple servant passed the main table at Prince Feliciano's birthday to refill the wine. Lady Sera-- this woman jumped onto the table and knocked the wine jug off the table. Then she chased the servants, killed one with a meat knife, then dueled the other. He screamed at the terrified guests, telling them her real identity before he died. Francis ordered the guards to move the royal family elsewhere while 'Lady Sera' swept the crowd to look for any possible assassin. She faced four assassins at once until the guards captured her unconscious. Feliciano, despite his brothers' objection, requested to place her in one of the bedrooms.

Looking back at the woman on the bed, Francis finally accepted that the sweet lady who was supposed to marry Prince Feliciano and the deadly assassin were the same person after all.

The room became darker as the fire reached the candle's base. Francis rose to lit another one. "That still doesn't answer my question, my lady. One of the wine bearers was about to strike Feliciano after you knocked the wine jug away. You protected him." Francis turned to face her. "Why?"

"You might find the reason is... stupid," she averted her gaze as she spoke.

"A reason is a reason. I'll promise to tell no one if you wish."

But a knock on the door stole his attention. Before Francis opened it, the door swung inwards to reveal a healer and Prince Feliciano himself. Altough his mentor stood closer and he never--not even once--forgot to greet him, this time he rushed to the bed, calling the woman's name aloud.

"Sera! Are you alright? Brother wouldn't let me see you-- aah! What happened to your hands?" he turned and motioned the healer to come closer. While she tended her wound, Feliciano kept babbling, telling her how he had been worried. "I saw you leaving me and the next thing I know, my guards escorted me away! Then they said that you are one of them. That's not true, right? Right?"

Francis noticed that the woman was smiling. A sincere smile she always wore as Lady Sera. She even let the prince touched her uncombed hair. The nobleman stepped closer, intending to distract Feliciano so the healer could work more comfortably, but his feet froze as he realized something.

A string hung from Feliciano's chest, connecting him to the woman's. They were seen together quite often in this past year, but it's the first time the string was visible to Francis' eyes, reflecting the candle's light. The legend of mysterious string was not unfamiliar for him, yet he never witness it himself. Too many people fall in love not with their intended soulmate, and the legend itself said the string would not be visible unless a bond had been formed between them. Many scholars dismissed it as a part of folklore, but he was one of the few who chose to believe it. The healer, despite sitting close to the couple, did not seem to notice it. Neither did Feliciano.

The prince's suitor held his hand, bandaged fingers gently caressing his. She let Feliciano laid his head on her lap, her gaze at him was tender, almost motherly. After a moment that felt like forever, Sera Russo--with unkempt hair and worn clothes instead of satin--beamed at Lord Francis Bonnefoy and whispered to him.

"Can you see it?"

Francis nodded, knowing what she meant. He got his answer, and he was glad.