Name: Miriam Alice Alexander Flora Lee Jackson
Nickname(s): She usually goes by Alice or Ally. Will also answer to the names America, States, US(A), Southern States, or Southern US(A).
The reason she has a double forename is because during the Antebellum period, the plantation class (upper class Southerners) considered themselves to be American royalty and likewise imitated the royal families of Europe, from the large homes with their French wallpaper and fine silver to other customs, in this case being an imitation of the naming pattern which showed in either multiple first names, or the person having multiple middle names. Likewise, in the present day, Southerners are still noted for their use of multiple forenames, in which “Southern” names are often two or occasionally three names linked together (i.e. the name of a beloved family member, a familial name, or simply linking classic names together).
Because of the large amount of Spanish influence in the Southwest, there’s also a Spanish naming tradition: her name includes the first surname (Lee) followed by the mother’s surname (Jackson). When reading her name, it would be given as Miriam Alice Alexander Lee; this is because in Spanish naming customs, in most situations only the forename and first surname is given, while the full name is used for legal, formal, and documentary matters.
Here’s a little chart to clear up any confusion about Alice’s name:
Forename: Miriam Alice Alxander (Meer-ee-um Al-us Alex-ander)
Middle Name: Flora (Flor-ah)
First Surname: Lee (Lee)
Second Surname: Jackson (Jack-son)
Miriam: In the Old Testament, Miriam is the sister of Moses and Aaron, chosen for much the same reason the name Aaron was chosen for her Hetalia version: with the U.S. historically compared to Moses so much, it seemed fitting she would take the name of Moses’ sister. The proper meaning of the name is unknown, but it’s possible it means “bitter”, “rebellious”, or “strong waters”. Considering the South is infamous for being rebellious, the possible meaning suited her.
Alice: Alice (meaning “noble” or “exalted”) was the name I originally used for her when I first created her, due to its similarity to Alfred, and because the name meaning is a nod to the American royalty mindset of the plantation-class during Antebellum.
Alexander: A Greek name meaning defender of men, and the name of her original father-figure from Jamestown, taken in homage to him.
Together, Miriam Alice Alexander form her triple name.
Flora: The middle name I originally gave her back when I created her: Flora is the name of the goddess of plants, flowers, and fertility in Roman mythology and so is the term used for plant life in particular regions at a particular time.
Lee: As with Aaron, her name uses the Spanish naming customs, and so she has two surnames with Lee being the one most often used. She simply shares Aaron’s surnames, this one being a homage to the Lees of Old Virginia.
Jackson: Again, having the same surnames as her counterpart. Jackson references Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, the hero of the South during the Civil War, and second in renown only to Lee himself.
Nation: The Southern Half of the United States
As stated in the sidebar, Alice represents both the Southeast and Southwestern United States; the whole of the Geographical South. Missouri is also included, due to the fact that it was claimed by the Confederate States (and again, my muse was a CSA OC once upon a time). Missouri is also included in definitions of the Old South, Border South, and Upper South. Generally, she will introduce herself as simply “the Southern United States”. If need be, she’ll elaborate on being the Southeast and Southwest, though this is generally on an as needed basis.
Because geographically, Hawaii is located so far south relative to the Lower 48, it’s also one of Alice’s states (Hawaii is located just below the Tropic of Cancer, which has it even with Mexico and the Florida Keys).
Due to the above information, she represents the states that made up the former Confederacy (as claimed by the CSA), those making up the Southeastern US according to the US Census Bureau, as well as the Southwest.
This gives her a total of twenty-four states (Hawaii isn’t shown on this map).
Race: Mixed Race
While nations don’t exactly have races in the human sense of the word, the most accurate way to describe Alice would be mixed race (specifically tri-racial). Historically speaking, the Southeast has always been where the majority of African Americans lived, which is a pattern that continues to this day. Beyond that, demographically, African Americans remain the largest minority in the South, while Hispanic or Latinx Americans are a close third, and other minorities don’t even make up a fourth of the population. Meanwhile, Hispanic or Latinos (whom are often mestizo or mulatto, depending upon where they’re from) have been in what would become the present-day U.S. since the 16th century, earlier than any other minority (the obvious exception being Native Americans), most often in the Southwest.
Alice’s racial makeup would be as if one parent was mulatto and one was mestizo: the Southwest was previously Mexican (and most Hispanics/Latinxs from Mexico are Mestizo) and Southwestern culture reflects this, whereas in the Southeast, the culture has been likewise formed by whites and African-Americans.
Because of the racism and discrimination faced by both minorities and those of mixed race, Alice previously presenting herself as white when among her people, particularly after the Civil War. With the increasing diversity and shifting views on race in the modern day, she’s likewise doesn’t hide it like she used to.
Note that though Mestizo’s have European (often Spanish) and Native American heritage, Alice does not represent any Native American tribe or nation herself, and instead only the influence of Native peoples on the U.S. historically and culturally.
Ethnicity: American
American ethnicity is far more common in the South, particularly the Southeast, than any other region in the U.S; according to census data, it’s one of the top 5 ethnicities in all Southeastern states except Delaware. The reasons for this are both due to mixed or unknown family origins of white Americans with surnames from the British Isles, and also out of a concept of nation building. For the most part, ethnic American’s heritage traces back to English, Irish, and French Americans, as well as Melungeons (tri-racial European/African/Native American) and Métis (Native/non-Native).
Beyond the fact that she’s Southern himself, it also suits Alice because her heritage is mixed (tri-racial Mulatto and Mestizo, making her make up very close to Melungeon) and because as a nation without familial origins in the human sense of the term, her heritage is also largely unknown. Besides, as an ethnicity partially created out of a sense of nation building, it suits the nation herself.
Birthday: December 20
I chose December 20th for her birthday due to the fact that was the day South Carolina seceded from the Union back in 1860, which was the first state to do so. I kind of wanted a winter birth date for her because of the line of the song Dixie saying “In Dixieland where I was born, early on one frosty morn’”, which is the traditional anthem of the Confederacy. Also, this date makes her astrological sign Sagittarius, a fire sign, traits of which are quite fitting for her. To get technical, his birthday is in the Sagittarius-Capricorn cusp (shortened to Sagicorn), both of which are sun signs.
Officially, her birthday would be July 4, due to that being Independence Day.
Sex & Gender: Female | Neutrois
Biologically, Alice’s body is very female; however, her gender identity is Neutrois (gender neutral): she doesn’t feel particularly female, nor does she feel particularly male. She’s just…well, neutral.
This is mainly because in my headcanon, nations themselves aren’t human despite appearances, and would actually be more akin to a separate sort of entity or being. And, with that in mind (along with the whole embodiment of millions of people thing), gender identity—a purely human construct—becomes a bit redundant. She feels like she has a gender, but it’s in a neutral gray area rather then being on a particular end of the spectrum or being agender (genderless).
Sexual Orientation: Pansexual, though tends to lean towards men
Continuing from the previous headcanon on gender identity, Alice also happens to be pansexual and has no real preference for sex or gender in her partners.
Besides that, she’s representing millions of people who aren’t all one sexuality. Even so, she does tend towards men, thanks to the influence of predominant attitudes.
Actual age: 503 years old
I typically play my OC as appearing somewhere around 1513, more or less. Headcanon states Charleston, South Carolina, both because of the city’s “Birthplace of the Confederacy” nickname (my OC originally being a CSA OC as previously stated), but also because Charleston was the center of trade in the southern colonies.
In canon, though Alfred is the English colonies, it very clearly shows he was already alive and well before England ever met him, hinting that Alfred was already born before the English colonies were established. Likewise, Aaron was born before Charleston or the colony of South Carolina were founded, and indeed before Roanoke and Jamestown. In 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon lands and settles in La Florida, the present day state of Florida and some surrounding area. In the following years, the Spanish also settle in the American Southwest. However, there is also evidence that Europeans arrived in Florida earlier than this, and what appears to be Florida is shown in the Cantino planisphere; a Portuguese map from 1502. Counting from Christopher Columbus, he’d be 521.
If asked, she’ll answer with 1513, due to this being the closest to what her actual age may be.
Apparent age: Early twenties; about 24 years old
Initially, Alice aged quite slowly. Compared to the North, the South lagged very far behind concerning industrialization, and even at the time of the Revolution, she still hardly looked older than ten.
She hit a growth spurt after the Louisiana Purchase, that added Louisiana, the Arkansas Territory (modern day Arkansas and a portion of Oklahoma), and Missouri. In the 1840s, after the Mexican-American War, she had one more growth spurt when the Mexican Cession added present day New Mexico, and Arizona. During the 1840s, she also gained Texas as well during that decade, when the Republic of Texas was annexed after the Texas Revolution.
Physically, she looks to be in her early twenties.
Housing:
Her main home is in New Orleans, Louisiana. However, she has a smaller one in Annapolis, Maryland to be closer to the capital for work when needed.
Family:
I play my Southern US as being Northern US’s sister, something akin to a step-sister concerning Canada, and half-sister concerning Mexico.
Being two halves of the same country and together making up the United States of America, North and South are blood siblings (such as North and South Italy or East and West Germany).
Though it’s been said that Canada and the U.S. are the only two countries one could go back and forth between without experiencing any real amount of cultural shock due to shared culture, this is really only for Canada and Northern U.S.; Canada and Southern U.S. don’t share nearly as much culture, beyond both once being part of the British Empire and both having some French influence. Because of this, Canada’s more of a step-sibling technically, though Alice tends to treat hhim as a proper brother anyway following the logic of “he’s my brother’s brother, so he’s my brother too.”
While Canada and Southern U.S. don’t share much culture, Southern U.S. and Mexico certainly do, particularly in the Southwest (which, as we know, used to be Mexico’s up until Alice took it). Besides that, both share Spain’s influence. Because of this, Southern U.S. and Mexico are something akin to half-siblings. Half, because Mexico’s culture is a mix of Spanish and Mesoamerican, and the only Mesoamerican culture in the South is what was brought with those with Mexican heritage. Obviously, Southern U.S.’s relation with Mexico hasn’t always been very well and still often remains strained, though how Alice will treat the nation depends upon how you play your Mexico.
Of course, all of this is very dependent on your own headcanons for your character. If you disagree, no worries; just let me know/have it somewhere I’ll find it when reading your character’s information (e.g. in an About, Navigation, FAQ, etc.) and Alice will behave accordingly.
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star_australis) wrote2016-05-09 11:17 am
