==
North Dakota | |
---|---|
Human Name: |
Bryon Clark |
Nicknames: |
North, Fargo, The Rough Rider State, The Flickertail State |
Age: |
120, Appears to be in his twenties. |
Height, Weight: |
6'0, 1?? lbs. |
Motto: |
Liberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable. |
Statehood: |
November 2, 1889 |
==
History[]
North Dakota was found by French fur traders around 1738 as part of the Arikara tribe along with South Dakota. France claimed the two brothers as his own (along with several other states), but for the most part, left them alone. After the French and Indian War, England took control of French Canada, which included Bryon's left arm. However, England did give North Dakota's land back soon after the Lousiana Purchase in the early 1800's.
As a territory, North Dakota was opened for homesteading in 1846, which only drew in a handful of settlers. Around the 1860's, the Sioux and Lakota-Sioux settled in the area after being driven from their original home around the Great Lakes. The Dakotas quickly adapted to life as Sioux and adopted a surrogate mother, one of the reasons why the two identify themselves more as Lakota-Sioux than anything else. In 1861, Bryon, Emmett, Chey (Wyoming), and Chaser (Montana) were all split off from the Louisiana Purchase territory and made into the Dakota Territory, which they formed a sort of makeshift family.
Homesteading picked up in the 1870's due to the construction of railroads in North Dakota, and on November 2, 1889, the Dakota brothers both became states. During the 1880's and 1890's, however, several native tribes clashed with white settlers in the Dakota Territory. Although no major battles occurred in North Dakota's land, Bryon felt split between his heritage and the promise of being a respected state. The fighting climaxed in 1890 with the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota, which left most of the Sioux as well as North Dakota without their will to fight anymore. He felt guilty for not being able to stop the massacre, even feeling personally responsible for the wounds that his brother and niece, Dolly (Wounded Knee), recieved.
In The Panic of 1893, North Dakota's young agricultural economy was hit hard and he barely managed to survive the economic depression. In the later 1890's, North Dakota was deployed as part of Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders to Cuba during the Spanish-American War (something he still views as his one claim to fame).
Since the Spanish-American War, Bryon has participated in several other wars, including both World Wars, the Korean War, and the Viatnam War. Because of the supposed brutality of the Rough Riders, Bryon has been cruel and overly violent in combat.
During the 20th and early 21st centuries, Bryon's population declined rapidly, although he finally has managed to turn it into an increase of population as of late due to his low rate of employment during the recession. He is currently the least visited state in the union.
Personality and Interests[]
North Dakota is very stubborn and headstrong. Although he considers himself to be the more calm and collected of the Dakotas, Bryon tends to get very vocal, short-tempered and illogical whenever he is insulted. Despite this, he makes an effort to be polite to anyone he does not know very well. He does not like getting into arguments, and does not really care whether he wins or loses. As of late, he’s gotten lonely due to his low population. Bryon loves hunting, and is very good at handling firearms. However, he also loves animals (with the exception of a phobia of bears) and especially dogs. He owns two dogs, which he spoils. He also loves to cook, but has a tendency to overcook food or even just light it on fire.
Appearance[]
Like his brother, North Dakota is rather tall, but has more of a thin, lanky build. He has dark blond hair, which he usually has in a short, messy ponytail. On the back of his head, he has an ahoge that represents Fargo. His eyes are a light gray. Bryon usually wears a blue t-shirt, and khaki pants tucked into hiking boots. When he deems a situation ‘formal’ enough, he will also wear a heavy brown jacket. Bryon always wears a holster with his pistol and a necklace with a brown and white feather.
Relationships[]
States[]
South Dakota: Bryon’s twin brother; the two have been close since childhood. North Dakota attempts to act as the voice of reason on multiple occasions, but they usually end up in trouble or arguing whenever they are near each other. Bryon tends to be over-dependent on Emmett, something he dislikes very much, but he still loves his brother. The two still live together and both have a phobia of the other not needing them.
Indiana: North Dakota and Indiana have a bit of a rivalry. Although the two butt heads often, Bryon actually respects Jack and considers him a close friend.
Wyoming: Bryon is very intimidated by Chey, although his reactions to her tirades can range from mildly impressed to being scared for his life. However, since they were territories together for a long time, North Dakota sees her a lot like a younger sister.
Minnesota: Under England's partial rule, Bryon lived with Minnesota occaisionally. He often played the role of an annoying little brother to her while having a crush on her. Currently, North Dakota treats Minnesota as a rival, but still treats her as a sister and refuses to say anything about the former crush.
Montana: Bryon sees Chaser as his younger brother. While they have been a bit distanced for the past few decades, they are still good friends.
Saskatchewan: The two share a border, although North Dakota is often angry at Saskatchewan for the latter's drunken tourists. They are on good terms and Bryon usually counts on Logan as someone to keep him company.
Countries[]
America: Bryon has a bit of a grudge against America, especially over the Wounded Knee Massacre. However, North Dakota will usually try to be polite around his "father", even if Alfred can never tell the twins apart.
France: North Dakota was a French territory for a while, although Bryon rarely actually saw Francis. The two were never close, and the only real evidence of their relationship are a few trading posts. Bryon has a vague respect of France as an uncle of sorts.
England: Bryon is relatively terrified of England, mostly because he almost made North Dakota part of Canada and therefore almost tore the Dakotas apart.
Germany: Bryon is mostly influenced by Germanic culture, so respects Germany. However, they do not get along very well.
Children[]
Bismarck (played): Edwin Clark is currently believed to be Bryon's only child. Bismarck's mother was a homesteader who traveled west when the North Central Railroad was completed, leaving North Dakota with a still very young Edwin. Ed was a city of outlaws for a long period of time and was very rebellious. He has calmed down considerably since then (most likely due to many fires and floods in his area) and is now relatively laid-back. Edwin is reminiscent of a younger version of Bryon: stubborn, mischevious, illogical, lonely, and overly trusting. Bryon is extremely protective of Ed, who in turn jokingly calls him "Mom".
Jamestown (implied)
Trivia[]
- “Bryon” comes from Byron Dorgan, a North Dakotan Senator and prominent member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party. “Clark” is derived from Fort Clark, an early fur-trading post.
- North Dakota's human name "Bryon" actually was a typo after his creator misspelled "Byron" on his profile and didn't notice until a month or so after being part of the roleplay.
- He dislikes his nickname of ‘North’ so much as that he has attempted to change his name to “Dakota” twice.
- Bryon's original design was a petite and quiet, but snarky girl. His creator ditched this image, however, after deciding to incorporate more of the Spanish-American War history into North Dakota.
- Although North Dakota appears to be Germanic in nationality, like his brother, he insists that he is pure Lakota-Sioux.
- Bryon is very bad at remembering languages; he can speak very broken French and only a little Lakota.
Soundtrack[]
Jubilee - Mary Chapin Carpenter - Describes Bryon's split feelings during and after the Indian Wars
When Bad News Gets Worse - Lucky Boys Confusion - Describes Bryon's relationship with Bismarck's mother, and his status as being single ever since.
All Around Me (Acoustic) - Flyleaf - Bryon's faith (ND has the lowest population of non-Christians in the country)
BFFF - Bowling for Soup - Bryon's relationship with his brother
Chasing Pavements - ADELE - Bryon's determination to stand out as a state.
From a Distance - Bette Milder - Bryon's theme for the Spanish-American War
You Learn - Alanis Morissette - Bryon's outlook on life
Life for Rent - Dido - His time with France
Note to Self - From First to Last - Bryon and Emmett's falling out after the Wounded Knee Massacre
Boats and Birds - Gregory and the Hawk - Bryon's over-dependence on others
A Dustland Fairytale - The Killers - Theme for the Dakota "family".
Everything is Alright - Motion City Soundtrack - Describes Bryon's high-strung tendencies.
Who I am Hates Who I've Been (Acoustic) - Relient K - Bryon's constant regrets.