Latvijas Republika

OOC INFORMATION
Name: Muri
Contact: hmyo
Other Characters: n/a

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Latvia ‣ Raivis Galante
Age: 600+ (existance) ‣ 15 (appearance)
Canon: Axis Powers Hetalia
Canon Point: August 2014
Character Information: Kitawiki link

Personality:

First impressions of Latvia are usually that he’s a bit of a cry-baby. Coupled with his short stature and quiet nature, he appears much younger than he actually is. Despite appearances he can display a great deal of maturity and tolerance towards others.

Latvia is not one to go out of his way to start fights and to most people he will show some degree of respect. He often speaks politely out of a slightly submissive personality however it also serves as a way to distance himself from people. Due to many unfortunate incidents in his past he’s developed issues with trust, as well as a low self-esteem and difficulty suppressing his emotions.

It’s very difficult to break down the barriers that Latvia has set up around himself, in doing so he’s likely to close himself off more. In order to earn his trust patience is the key, and eventually he’ll open up. His speech patterns are a good indicator of how close he is to someone, as he slowly becomes more and more colloquial. It may take time but if Latvia comes to trust someone he proves to be extremely loyal. Keep in mind that trust and fondness are not the same, he can come to trust someone he finds annoying and still express a great deal of concern for their well-being.

As is the case with Sealand, who Latvia is shown fussing over despite the fact he really wouldn't consider them the best of friends. To Latvia, Sealand was someone who was a little out of his depth and his first reaction was to try and put him back in his place (As had been the case with Latvia himself previously). Throughout his life Latvia had been pushed around and under the control of various different nations and to say he had been unaffected by that would be inaccurate. He had normally taken the role of subordinate so there was certainly a desire to act as the dominant party for once. Upon his next meeting with Sealand he stated that he should be considered like a big brother and tried to warn Sealand about the difficulties of being a nation but ended up dwelling on the hardships he had faced himself. In the end he got so upset that he was the one that needed comforting.

As mentioned previously, Latvia suffers from a low self-esteem. While he certainly doesn't hate himself he doesn't exactly have much confidence in himself either. Compared to others he feels slightly overshadowed. He was never as determined as Lithuania and not as intelligent as Estonia and certainly not as powerful as Russia. Even though Latvia still holds some resentment towards Russia, when living under his control he was always very eager to please him. It wasn't for Russia’s sake, but rather for Latvia to draw attention to himself and prove that he was useful. Unfortunately most of these attempts ended up backfiring on him which only made Russia bully him more.

Latvia is certainly a pessimist and tends to think more about what could go wrong rather than what could go right. There’s good reason for this though, as his luck tends to be on the bad side. Most of the time it’s a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, such as standing under a falling ceiling or petting one of the hungrier sheep in the field. It isn't always coincidence though and sometimes he gets into trouble because of something that he’s said or done.

Most people seem to have a filter between what goes on in their brain and what comes out of their mouth. Latvia doesn't really have that. He has a tendency to say exactly what he’s thinking and even when he’s trying to be nice to someone, something rude might slip out. It’s never his intention to offend people, while he can be extremely passive aggressive he would never deliberately insult someone. That kind of pure honesty can make him appear quite blunt or inconsiderate and he’s usually a vocal complainer. Because he doesn't think things through before speaking or acting he has a habit of doing things that are prohibited.

As well as being open about his thoughts he’s very open about his emotions as well. Latvia is the type to wear his heart on his sleeve and it’s easy to tell what he’s feeling by the expression on his face. This is likely what gives people the impression that he’s a bit of a cry-baby. A lot of the time he’s quite anxious about things and easily upset. One notable trait of his is that he frequently shakes (to the point where Russia tried to forcibly stop it with less than stellar consequences). These tremors can range from a slight quiver to a very noticeable quaking. Occasionally he may even shake out of excitement or anger rather than fear. His shaking was more prominent during the past and in modern times the tremors have become less frequent as Latvia becomes better adjusted.

Latvia may be easily scared but he is by no means a coward. He’s vocal about his feelings but that doesn't mean he’ll be paralysed by them. While he much prefers to avoid conflict, if needed he can fight back with much vigor. Physically he’s quite weak but it takes a lot to knock him down and keep him down. That willingness to stand-up for what he considers important, no matter how much he might cry and complain, paints Latvia as quite a courageous individual underneath his shy exterior.

When backed into a corner he shows a remarkable genius and can do things that seem impossible. For example, when pushed to make something by Russia, Latvia was able to craft it skilfully despite having no previous experience. However, lately he’s become quite lazy and would prefer not to work hard if he can help it, unless gently encouraged with kind words and promise of reward. On multiple occasions Latvia has expressed a want to rely on other people instead.

In many instances Latvia comes across as a lonely individual. The want to rely on people, despite being wary about trusting them probably stems from the fact that even though he’s normally surrounded by others he still feels quite distant emotionally. He’s frequently expressed a desire for siblings and friends, a topic that Lithuania and Estonia seem keen to avoid. Despite that the three get lumped in together as the Baltic States they’re not all that close. He gets upset if this fact is brought up.

Having grown accustomed to feeling alone most of his hobbies are solitary. Latvia loves books and if there’s a library nearby it’s likely that he’ll be there. Poetry and romance are his favourite although he seems to laugh at romance novels (almost bitterly) for being unrealistic. He still loves using them as a form of escapism. He enjoys non-fiction as well as fiction and displays a broad knowledge of various cultures and histories. While he couldn't give a detailed recollection of a country’s socio-political history (unless it was one he shared a lot of history with) he could still talk about all sorts of interesting factoids and give a general overview of their timeline and traditions. Latvia would probably be the kind of person to drink his troubles away if he could actually get drunk. He cites his limit as forty cups but when asked about it he claims he doesn't know what getting drunk actually is.

Despite his introversions Latvia is a rather outspoken individual. The confidence he lacks in himself he makes up for with confidence in his culture and his people. Ultimately what he wants is a sense of comfort and security and a friend he can count on.

5-10 Key Character Traits: withdrawn, accident-prone, emotional, hidden genius, thoughtless, resilient, caring, pessimist
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