Adventures of the Golden State (Hetalia)
Author: Ashynarr
Summary: Under much protest and complaint, I've decided that since I have nowhere else to put these, I'm going to share some of my state OC drabbles to see how people like them. Mostly focused on California, but will feature other states.
Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.
Warning: State OCs
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"Is this her, then?"
Isabel looked up from her game, which mostly involved her hopping over small stone 'bridges' made by flat rocks laid out over 'canyons' she'd carved out with a stick. The man who'd first found her wandering outside the mission chasing lizards months ago was approaching, another man with him. She didn't recognize him, but something told her he was important.
"It is; none of us have been able to find out where she came from, so we've been looking after her in the meantime."
"I see!" The younger looking man replied, looking down to her thoughtfully. "She's very cute! Does she have a name?"
"We've named her Isabel."
Isabel let herself be picked up by the newcomer, though she wasn't fond of being held out at arms length while he looked her over.
"A good choice," He agreed after a bit, bringing her close to cuddle. "She'll grow up into a fine woman with a name like that."
After a bit to realize what was happening, and some more to decide that she was fine with it, Isabel hugged the man back. After a short bit he pulled her away and set her down, ruffling her hair before turning his attention back to the missionary.
She lingered, waiting for some further acknowledgement, but when they started to wander away while discussing the current state of some place called Spain, she decided to go back to her interrupted game, slightly miffed but not willing to bring it up after the smacking she'd gotten last time.
The next time she saw him was at the evening meal, sitting with some of the other missionaries. They were enjoying the drink she wasn't allowed to have yet, a sense of cheer permeating the atmosphere and making the gloom of earlier fade away like morning fog.
"I was wondering, by the way," The newcomer asked between drinks, looking around at anyone. "Have any of you found gold around here, or perhaps other valuables?"
"Nothing, I'm afraid," One of the other men lamented. "The indians here are barely taking to civilization as it is, and none of them seem to recognize anything valuable we try to show them."
"Gold?" Isabel asked, curious.
The newcomer glanced to her, digging through his pouch before pulling out a shiny round chunk of metal, with symbols and pictures on both sides. "It looks like this, but it could be in other forms, like rocks or statues or pebbles."
She shook her head, frowning as she looked back up to it. "I haven't seen anythin' like it."
He sighed, shaking his head in disappointment before putting the coin away, turning back to the other men and once again leaving her isolated from the conversation. After a few more minutes of picking at her food she sighed, finishing it before leaving the table and returning to her room, wondering just what made such shiny material so important.
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[Utah, New Mexico/Arizona (twins) = eleven years old; Nevada, Colorado = four years old]
[All except Nevada are girls]
"Kids!" California shouted, turning away from the stove she was cooking on briefly to look for the wayward child. "Dinner!"
"Coming!" Came a returning shout, the patter of feet following. In seconds Utah had skidded into the room, her messy braid half unravelled as she settled down at the table.
"And where are your sisters?" The state asked, bending down briefly to pick up a fussy Nevada (who'd been tugging on her skirt for the past minute) before going back to cooking with her available hand.
"Outside," The oldest (or so she claimed) of the children replied, kicking her feet impatiently. "They're showing Colorado how to catch lizards."
"Are they now," California frowned lightly. "Can you go and let them know dinner's almost ready?"
"Okay!" With that Utah leapt out of her chair again, almost tripping as she ran out the door. Shaking her head in amusement, she turned back to the stove, lightly humming an old song from her mission days to Nevada as he continued to cling to her shirt.
The two of them startled as they heard a scream not long after, California thankful she'd just dampened the fire as she ran out, the youngest still clinging on as much as his four year old body could. She skidded to a stop in the street, seeing a panicking Utah holding onto an equally frightened Colorado, while New Mexico was attempting to get Texas to let go of her and her twin Arizona.
"Texas!" California almost snarled, remembering his attitude from last time. "Let them go!"
"Haven't you heard, cousin?" Texas tilted his head back, smirking. "Their territories recently joined the Confederacy; they aren't part of the Union anymore."
"What?" She balked, before recentering herself. "That doesn't mean you can just take them from their own home!"
"You still have the option to join us, too." Texas offered. "I know there are people here who sympathize with us; you could make a name for yourself away from Alfred and the northerners who turned on you."
California recalled her first and so far only meeting with the other States, when she'd travelled east with Al to confirm her new status before the others. The looks of disgust and annoyance she'd gotten had made her antsy enough that she'd rushed through it all and gone home as soon as she could, only to find three new little territories from her former land waiting for her.
She also recalled the sympathy Alfred had given her after the meeting but before her journey home, and how he'd explained that they were just on edge from their own issues with him and that none of it was her fault at all, and that he was proud to have her no matter what-
California stood her ground, and told him, "Fuck off, Texas."
Texas scowled, pulling at the twins. "You'll come to see us in the right eventually, Cali. Don't come crying later when your precious Union falls apart."
New Mexico, who had had enough, screeched loudly and bit down on his wrist, causing Texas to swear as he let her go. California rushed forward as the girl ran away from the Confederate State, letting the child hide behind her while she tried to grab Arizona away as well.
Texas, not to be tricked twice, threw the young girl over his shoulder and, ignoring her screams and crying, lept onto the horse he'd brought with him and took off, leaving California feeling just a bit emptier as her kids cried around her.
Crouching down to run a hand through New Mexico's hair, California began cursing Texas' name and praying for the war to be averted or crushed soon so that the twins would be back together again.
Damn the Confederacy; didn't they see what they were doing to everyone around them?
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"New bosses suck." Isabel complained, flopping down on Sue's couch with a frustrated groan.
"I thought you were glad to be getting him in," The eastern State asked, turning from where she'd been watering her potted plants.
"Yeah, but that was before I found out he isn't actually gonna do any of the shit he promised," She sighed, resting an arm over her eyes. "The gay community was so happy to have someone saying he'd support them in office…"
"Maybe you can nag him about it?"
"Maybe," The western State sighed. "You know what's worse, though? When I went to introduce myself to him, his first response was 'Oh, you're Spanish.' Like, what the fuck even? Does no one even realize that all those old Spanish missions they like visiting might mean I was, y'know, Hispanic?"
"He is Austrian; you can't expect him to know your history as well as your people." Sue replied, finally setting the watering can down to prod at her friend to sit up so she could sit down.
"He's been here for ages though, which is why he could run for governor. Governator." Isabel snorted in amusement. "Honestly, that has to be one of the best nicknames ever."
"Please don't call him that in front of Alfred," Sue pleaded with a sigh. "We've already heard enough jokes about it without you encouraging him."
The western State ignored that, continuing on with her rambling complaints. "That reminds me, there was this other dude who came into office recently who implied I was fat. Like, seriously, he seemed to think there was something wrong with actually having a waistline."
"You?" Sue laughed. "Please tell me you shoved his opinion where it belongs."
Isabel snorted. "I told him that unless he'd been starved and abandoned as a kid and then had to suffer through the 20s after that, he could keep his damn mouth shut, and that I actually like having curves, thanks."
"Damn straight," The eastern state praised, the two fistbumping.
"How've things been for you, by the way?" Isabel asked.
"Eh, they've been." Sue shrugged. "Ben's a pain, Ginny's overbearing, the others still can't get along, and I think the South is getting even more annoying lately."
"I'll talk to Sammy when I can, but the rest of them I can't help much with." The western State shrugged.
"Texas?" Sue asked, Isabel humming in confirmation. "Meh, he hasn't been as bad as the others, but it'd be nice if you could get him to talk to them or something."
Isabel raised an eyebrow at the comment, but replied with "I'll see."
~0~0~0~0~0~0~
"You tried to do what?" Isabel asked, staring down her cousin in sheer disbelief.
Sam shrank a bit in his seat, looking rather sheepish as he explained, "Dennys had its usual Valentine's special going, so I thought she might like it, but she sorta freaked out and now I can't reach her-"
"No wonder!" She sighed, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. "What the fuck made you think Dennys was in any way romantic?"
"...you were the one who mentioned she liked diners?" He pointed out.
"Real diners. Y'know, like the ones Alfred always likes to go to when we have state meetings?"
He frowned. "And?"
Isabel resisted the urge to cry. "One of the things Sue is most proud of is her diners, and you basically took her to the diner equivalent of McDonalds for Valentines Day."
He finally seemed to get it, letting his head drop into his hands while swearing under his breath. "What do I do, then?"
"What you're going to do," Isabel leaned forward, pulling his head up to lock eyes with him just so he could see her serious expression. "Is exactly what I tell you to do, understand?"
"Yes ma'am." Sam agreed instantly, wanting to avoid annoying her even more.
"Good. Now, here's what you do first…"
~0~0~
Susannah sighed and rolled over on her bed, a half-empty plate of comfort food beside her. It'd been two days since the disaster of a date, and most of her anger had melted away into a slowly churning melancholy.
She really hadn't meant to go off on Sam quite as harshly as she had, but she'd been so startled and offended at where they'd gone for Valentines Day - for their first major couple's holiday together! - that she'd just let her temper go. It hadn't even struck her until she'd gotten home that he probably didn't even realize why Dennys wasn't the same thing as a diner - heck, Isabel had even lamented his cheap eating habits dozens of times in the past!
He hadn't even called since about two hours after she'd left, according to her house phone and her cell. She didn't want to think about what that meant.
The doorbell rang, drawing Sue from her thoughts as she sat up. It rang again, finally drawing her from her sheets to investigate.
The door opened to one of the last people she expected to see. "Sam?"
"Hey, Sue," He replied, juggling a pot of violets, a box of donuts, and a dvd case for The Princess Bride. "Brought some things I thought you'd like."
"I-" She paused, not sure what to ask first.
"It took me a bit to realize how I mucked it up the other day, so I figured I'd make it up to you. How does curling up on the couch and watching a sappy movie sound for a late Valentines Day?"
Sue felt a laugh creeping up her throat, stretching her mouth into a grin. "That sounds amazing."
(It wasn't until later she guess at, then learned about, Isabel's involvement. But with Sam sleeping beside her in bed and her mood the best it'd been in weeks, it was hard to be more than mildly amused.)
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AN: Alright, here's another installment of short drabbles with Cali and friends. And for the anon who was complaining about how I aged her – she is literally the personification of ALTA CALIFORNIA before she's the state of California – she is completely Hispanic! And seriously, you consider ONE town claiming independence for like a week is anything serious? It was literally the equivalent of an eight year old crying 'You can't tell me what to do!'
Sighs. Trust me, I think I know what I'm doing with her – I've been messing around with headcanons about her for like over a year. If I'm writing state ocs, I'm taking it damned seriously.
(Also, I completely rescind my comment about it being for less experienced people. JFC it takes a lot of thought in order to get everything right!)
PS: The reason for Texas/New Jersey? Kait used to rp it with a friend (not me), and now she's just a huge sucker for the ship.