I feel like it’s not an unpopular opinion to think that countries shape-shift throughout time as their people do, but have we considered them changing with which groups of their people they’re around? Have we considered their age? Have we considered how weird that could work in general? Like, have we really leaned into the concept of them being closer to gods with a lifespan than humans?
Like Romano visits Alfred in New England and his English takes on a New Jersey accent. Culturally and physically, he feels more connected with the 1920s than the 2020s. He reverts to old slang when speaking his native language and gains a fervent love for the Yankees and meaty Italian-American dishes.
Alternatively, he walks through certain areas of Sicily and feels more connected to his African immigrants and the Afro-beats scene. His hair gets curlier and his skin gets darker, a completely different brand of Italian that he wasn’t 20 minutes before.
Or does it work differently from nation to nation? Some nations only represent those that live within their borders. Others only represent those that have assimilated within the culture. Certain nations only represent those that were born and raised there, but still accept them even when they move out of the country.
Do multiple countries share one citizen because of dual citizenship, or did only one accept them? Did none? Do certain countries have such a multi-cultural mentality, or such a strong immigration influx, that they go as far as representing people that just want to be a citizen? Do nations see someone that has such a deep appreciation for their culture even though they’ve never set foot inside that they’re like “yeah you’re a part of me now”? Do they even know they’re making the choice of who does and doesn’t belong to them or is it an unconscious instinct?
Yao, someone whose culture values wisdom and family, sees aging as something beautiful, and consciously chooses the appear in his mid 60’s. He values the respect and discipline of the elder age— maybe he even goes older, rocketing between a scarily healthy 83-year-old and just barely making the mark for a senior citizen as he sees fit. Or is it because of how old the culture is? Does he even choose to appear as he does, or does his body decide for him? If his culture was younger, but still had the emphasis on respect for your elders, would he still look as he does? If it was the opposite? Either way, an old soul feels fit in an old body, and Yao is as he is.
Alfred, on the opposite end of the scale, values being young, independent, and free from an aging body. Why on earth would he want to be disciplined? He doesn’t need to be a certain age to get respect; he’ll earn it himself. He wants to look good and feel good and run and jump and rebel and just do. He matured way younger than most (most were still learning to crawl by the time he gained independence), which is probably the root of why he is as he is. His early independence built his culture and values around being young and in one’s prime; the present and future rather than the past. This may be what keeps him young and sweet, only seventeeeeennnn. He gets as old as 23 on certain drab occasions if that’s even how he works, but he’ll never go past that. He could be the oldest country on earth and live past every nation he knows in the present day, but as long as his culture stays true to itself he won’t look anything past his early 20s.
He also could have some of the most range physically. He could walk through Harlem in his roaring 20s as a black man only to make it to the next few neighborhoods over with blue eyes and blond hair, looking every part of Matthieu’s twin.
Speaking of Matt, maybe he ages completely differently than both Yao and Alfred. While they stay in a certain age range and just ping pong back and forth (do they? Or do they stay the same age and just look different due to the people they’re around? No one can tell anyway, it’s more of a rough estimate because it’s impossible to measure a nation's physical age or even how their physical forms work in general. Maybe they’re just going off of vibes), He’s more of the human adjacent category. Every 20 or 30 or so years, his Adam’s apple becomes more apparent and the need to shave his face happens more often. Does he even notice that he’s getting older than his twin? Or do their physical differences grow more and more every year that it hardly matters anymore? Or will they see each other sometime in the next century and realize they’ve slowly become fraternal over the years without noticing? He’s growing paler and older while Alfred’s getting darker and staying younger, no matter how much their personalities stay in sync.
Do other countries age based on certain events? Did Ivan and other post-Soviet countries get younger after the collapse of the Soviet Union? Did Ivan get younger after the formation of the union? Do changes in government to that level feel so impactful on the citizens, so much like a new start, that they age back however many years feel appropriate? Did Ivan go from his 50s/40s to late his 20s at the formation, only to age back to his 30s/40s as the union grew bigger, only to age back as it fell? A repetitive cycle of new beginnings? Maybe his age isn’t a concept of the culture like it is Yao or a simple passage of time like it is Matt. Changes in his life could be what affect his age and other appearance factors too. His looks alter with each new period in his life, just a little bit. His eyes get a little further apart, or his ears sit at a different angle, or he gets slightly taller, or something changes just enough to be noticeable to those that know him.
Like just. the inhuman aspects of being a nation... so much could b explored,,, idk.
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