Petthist

We know she was basically a knight nation up until her partition in 1526, which is when she - at the time at least a teen with a visibly afab body- decides to accept that she is a woman. She accepts her "being different" in stamina and physical strength and decides to "settle down"/"calm down" (I'm quoting my translations because "get a move on" is... kinda a weird sentence in this context? And this moment of her life has been described as "settling down" in other pages and profiles)

The way this is phrased makes it seems like she has known for a while (which makes sense, if nations go through puberty) but hasn't switched around because she didn't feel the need to change her (masculine) way of life until she is 1) recognized as a woman by someone with whom she shared a "male bond" with 2) defeated and no longer feels like she can keep up with the rest. I don't think she would have forgone her male identity had she not lost, or she would already have when she had first realized. Being and accepting being a woman mean something very precise and that is assuming a lifestyle she does not care about or like.

So... she suffers a devastating + humiliating defeat, takes this as an indication that she is built different from the others around her (who are mostly men) and decides to calm down... Next page she is seen in maid garb cleaning at Austria's and gaslighting herself.

(source: Volume 3 Track 24: The Awesome Frantic Me)

"I have no interest in hunting" says the girl (-) who was a boy knight until yesterday. (PS. My translation also edits the little text above pru and it says "he is not used to it yet". cute)

This defeat was a massive deal for her for more than the conquest+partition of her kingdom. She used to be regarded as a strong c hristian stronghold, basically defending the entirety of E.urope from the O.ttoman invasions on her own. It is a terrible loss of prestige and a fundamental point that gave her confidence/made her super cocky, so I don't think she ever really recovered, redirecting instead her energy into making herself content with what she has and detach herself from what reminds her of her massive failure/how she once was and can no longer be.

So she leaves behind her past and presentation and immediately engages in traditionally "feminine" activities (cleaning/cooking) and tries to convince herself (and others) that she does not care about any of that stuff she used to enjoy anymore (which aren't things a /lady/ enjoys!). And from then on she is mostly (only? Does she ever wear pants again?) portrayed as dressing feminine, except when she is fighting (a traditionally "male" activity), where she is shown to be just as/more strong than male characters (depending on the instance - one could say this is due to armies but it shows that her "well I'm just built different because I'm a woman" is BS). This is also an instance when she is shown to go APESHIT because of course a violent person who represses their tendencies 99% of the time becomes insane when they have the opportunity to unwind.

(source ; source) (she is so crazy <3 "btw guys should we just kill him in his sleep?")

Despite her appearance, she remains a formidable fighter (which everyone recognizes), but still reverts back to her "womanly" attitude whenever her strong, violent side is no longer needed (or proper, for the lady she is trying to be). Obviously as I have mentioned in another post she has her rebellious instances, but they never end well (it seems she is much better at fighting for others than for herself. RIP) which I hc acted as reinforcement for her "I am not suited to stand next to the others" complex she has had since the 16th century and pushes her further down into the "ladylike" rabbit hole. And she engages with it! If it can bring her benefit, and sadly for the most part it does. By now (1870s) she has understood that she cannot be like she once was (altough she remembers it with nostalgia), fighting her way to the top like she used to, so she will use what she has to her advantage. Be it to marry to regain a seat at the table of the European nation big deals (also historically the only way a woman could have an ounce of power in europe if you think about it) or posing for sexy photos to encourage SPA tourism when her economy is struggling. Not her idea, but she does it anyways.

So... how does this make her misogynistic? Aside from her belief of women being weaker and indulging male fantasies for her benefit, she has learnt how to be a woman in a time where women were expected to be and act a certain way and never really let go, even if she could go a little more crazy with her presentation after the whole feminist movement she doesn't, even though she still has her nostalgia and crazy violent instincts that sometimes seep through.

(source btw, didn't you say that you weren't interested in hunting anymore? </3)

When I said her dressing in traditional female garb when looking for supporters in the revolution this is kind of what I meant. She wants to fight her way to her independence and for this, she needs support from others + her people, but she no longer does it with empowering speeches she would have given her men in the 14th century. She will fight with them - but she needs their help, because she can't do it on her own, she is not strong enough and needs the help of the Men because she is but a Woman. It is suchhh torture but of course she will do it. And when it doesn't work out she gets married. thats kind of messed up.

She is, basically, a character who has shed parts that thoroughly defined her, gaslit herself into becoming someone else that adhered more to what society (and she!) thought was more fit for a woman, and has gone on like that for so long that it became who she actually is, for the most part. And she could act more like she used to, the concept of what is acceptable for a woman has shifted massively in such a very short time, but hun is a traditionally conservative country and she has so many things to unpack, I don't think she is going to let go of her current persona easily. Not saying she's l g b t + phobic (she is a freak canonically and has wanted to put men in dresses for 500 years) but I think she is one of those people that thinks its ok if its someone else doing it and since she is a woman (!) attracted to men, you know, its not about her!

And while I loooove more masculine depictions of her (body hair, more muscular, etc my beloved) this is also why I keep her design consistent with her original one even though I personally hc her as an afab man.