Hey everybody!!!

I know I haven't been on recently, but I'm currently working on a request as we speak! I'll try to get it published by Friday!

This headcanon chapter is about Alfred's mental health, intelligence, and personality~

TW: mentions of drug use and suicide attempts

Best,
Kimiko Lee
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1. Alfred has high functioning autism. Alfred's compulsive nature isn't him being an idiot, it's just a reflex. The same can be said for his lack of focus in most subjects, his hyper focus on his pleasures, his inability to read an atmosphere, his social anxiety, his outward thinking, and his intelligence. He was never formally diagnosed until the late 2010's and the only nations who know are Canada, Russia, the Nordics, and Japan. He's not ashamed of it, but he doesn't want many nations to know because he's scared they'll bully him.

2. Alfred has a lot of toxic positivity and Canada is VERY aware of it. Alfred has been beat down by many people and he just smiles through it all. Matthew knew it was very unhealthy, and he was right. Because no matter how fast Alfred grew and what he went through, he smiled.

3. When having a complete mental breakdown, his mental age regresses. Alfred and Matthew have a whole system to be able to tell of Alfred's age is about to regress: where he'd call Matthew and used their code word, pip (which stood for 'personification in peril') to get him to come over with a comfort toy, blankets, and a stuffed bunny plushie. Alfred going through a total mental age regression makes him believe he's back to pre-colony age (so around 2).

4. Alfred has tried to kill himself more times that any other nations except for Russia. It's the reason they bond so well and are civil to one another. Russia is often made aware of Alfred's mental state by Canada, per Alfred's request. He knows mostly everything that Canada does and will do anything to help America when needed. He emphasizes with him, but is saddened by the thought of someone centuries younger than him being so mentally shattered.

5. When Alfred is having a breakdown, and his age regresses, Matthew cradles him. Alfred will call him "Mama" because of how safe he feels. Matthew smiles and cries because he thinks Alfred is mistaking him for their mother, Native America. It makes Canada both incredibly happy but incredibly heartbroken.

6. Alfred used hard drugs during the end of the Korean War because of how tough the war, and his boss, were on him. What started out as just smoking weed with the Netherlands quickly spiraled into doing cocaine with Hollywood big shots and shooting up in dirty clubs. Canada was always there for him and tried to get him to stop. It wasn't until midway through the Vietnam War did he stopped, after one bad pill caused him to see his soldiers in combat. That one bad trip still appears in his nightmares sometimes.

7. Alfred has suffered night terrors and sleep paralysis since he was a colony. The reason he hated storms so much as a child is because those were the nights that would trigger them, but he eventually grew out of it. Now, his night terrors are based around war, but he has gotten better.

8. Alfred is the smartest nation with an IQ of 260, making him the second smartest person in history. However, he hides his intelligence because he is well aware of the mindset that nations have. He knows that the nations fear the unknown and he was pretty well versed in spontaneity. Putting the second smartest brain in history behind his powerful super strength and impulsive attitude, the nations would undoubtedly fear him.

9. As well as autism, he also has severe OCD. This is especially when you regard his kitchen. No matter what house he stays in, the kitchen is forbidden to be touched unless you have his permission.

10. Alfred suffers a lot mentally, but still tries to help. He knows what it means to suffer and does his best to try to lift others up. It scares the shit out of Canada because he doesn't like Alfred constantly putting others first. Most notably, during the Great Depression, he saw how Alfred would donate everything he could to those in need while simultaneously neglecting his own. It got so bad that Alfred couldn't physically eat for a few months, Canada had to wing him onto solid food by giving him grits and oatmeal with bits of fruit into it.

Bonus~

Canada is the only nations to know everything about Alfred. Including the fact that he still sleeps with a rocket ship nightlight.