[network] @SceptredIsle; how do we bear this burden; day 56; text [open]

[keepscalm]

Good morning, everyone.

I'm sure you all saw the obituary a couple days ago. I elected not to post about it yesterday, as there were more widespread concerns regarding our safety and I didn't wish to detract attention from them. [Yes. That is totally the reason it has taken him a few days to post about this.]

But I'd like to request that you contact me if you have any information on the whereabouts of Sealand. His network handle is @TOTALLYANATION. He looks about twelve and he's got short blonde hair and blue eyes. I know he's not in the hospital's morgue; I checked. I've left him a message so that he can hopefully respond once he returns.

[If he returns.]

There's no need to go out of your way to search, but if anyone is going by the other morgues, I would appreciate if you could take a quick look while you're there.

And if he happens to contact any of you, please tell him that England and America are looking for him. [He's using his real name and everything! Mostly because hiding it now is pointless and he has better things to worry about.]

Thank you for your time.

Comments

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[keepscalm]

[He sounds so young...and the likelihood that he's actually as old as Sealand is rather low. England is probably talking to an actual mortal child.]

Thank you, Quark. That's very kind of you to say.

If you come across him, it might be wise for you to travel together until we can locate him. I'm sure Sealand would appreciate having someone close to his physical age.

[This suggestion is for both Sealand and Quark's benefit, truthfully.]

[averytinyparticle]

Yeah! He could definitely travel with me! I don't think anyone else would mind. I like having other kids, around, too.

[Nice ones, at least. And so far the only other kids he's met here have been really nice, so he's not too worried. And...okay, Quark has to ask.]

What do you mean by physical age? Is he different on the inside? [He's never heard of anything like that before.] If you don't want to talk about it right now, though, I understand. You don't have to!

[He knows he probably shouldn't be acting on his curiosities right now. England's probably super stressed out about it, he doesn't need anything pressuring him!]

[keepscalm]

It's all right. I might as well explain.

Sealand isn't a human. He's actually nearly fifty years old, but developmentally, he's still a child, and acts accordingly.

America and I are the same way. Physically, we're both young adults, but we've been around for centuries.

[averytinyparticle]

Whoa...

[England can't see it, of course, but Quark's eyes go super wide. It takes him a moment to figure out exactly how to respond to that.]

So does that mean you're all...immortal?

[keepscalm]

Not quite. We live as long as our nation does, and we don't die by normal means.

[A pregnant pause, and then he adds:] Under normal circumstances, that is.

[averytinyparticle]

Oh...I think I get it! So that's why your names are the same as the countries!

[The suspension of disbelief is strong in this one. Easy to just tack that on because of his age. What can't he believe? And generally, he takes the things that adults say at their word. Why would anyone make something up? They'd have to have a really good reason!]

I've never heard of Sealand...but I'm not very good at geography. Maybe I just can't remember seeing it in an atlas!

[keepscalm]

[England is sort of glad for it. He hates it when he explains this only to be brushed off as a raving lunatic.]

Indeed. We are the country, so it's only appropriate that we should be named as such.

As for Sealand, you've never seen it in an atlas because Sealand isn't a formally recognised nation. It's an abandoned British fort a few miles off our coast, so it's not even a real island.

[averytinyparticle]

He's not? Doesn't that feel bad?

[He knows all about being abandoned. He feels his heart deflate a little. Now he wishes he'd known Sealand a bit better.]

...but maybe it's not so bad because he has friends like you!

[keepscalm]

[Ouch.]

We're brothers. I don't think he considers me his friend.

There are a lot of people like him, though. We call them "micronations." He's friendly with them, and he's close with Sweden and Finland, as well.

He's not ready to be formally recognised as a nation, but he's not alone, I assure you.

[averytinyparticle]

Oh! A small nation is still a nation, then! As long as he's not alone, that's definitely the most important thing.

[Even if being a micronation also means not being an official nation. At least it's something, a title!]

Why don't you think you're friends just because you're brothers? If I had a brother...I think he'd be my best friend! But I don't have any brothers or sisters, so I don't really know what it would be like.

[He likes to imagine having siblings, though. And when he does, he never imagines them fighting. It makes him too sad to think that he wouldn't be close to his family if he had one.]