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Misconception: China
hates Japan

Reality: While he
does hold against a grudge against Japan for betraying him in WW2, he’s deeply
affected by it.

We all know the scene. Japan stabs China – literally and
figuratively – in the back. You’d think this would generate hatred on
China’s part…

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…but this couldn’t be anymore true.

China raised Japan. He was there with him through everything.
He protected Japan from other nations, like Mongolia, only to receive nothing
for it.

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In other words, China’s heart was broken. A telling scene in
which this is confirmed is when China drinks away his sorrows and breaks down
into tears as he recounts what Japan has become.

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Unfortunately, we are not provided with much insight on how
Japan and China fare in modern times, as we don’t get many moments where they
exclusively interact with each other.

Misconception: China
is weak

Reality: He
possesses immense strength, but because of his age he lacks stamina.

Ex: This strip
illustrates America’s perception of China’s innate strength and/or capacity for
it.

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Despite this, however, because he’s lived for so long, China’s
physical body has aged and weakened. This is an exception to the rule of a nation’s
political and economic situation affecting their physical strength.

The physiology is more applicable to how they lead their
daily lives.

Ex: He’s referred to as a grandpa in modern times, and tires easily.

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Ex: In another modern
strip, he’s affected by his population’s growing obesity rate and subsequently
gains weight despite his efforts to circumvent this.

This can be taken as another demonstrative impact of his
physiology age given that older people also have trouble shedding weight.

It’s still important to note that he’s nonetheless referred
to as a powerhouse [for obvious political and economic reasons.]

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Accurate Conception:
China is likely an Ancient.

He’s lived for approximately 4000 years. Given that Quintillus, a Roman emperor, was once
seen to be holding a baby China, I would say that this pretty much confirms his
status as an Ancient.

This is aside from the fact that Quintillus can time travel
– the timelines correspond without the need for him to do so. Point is, this is a more concrete example of how old China is.

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Misconception: China’s
rude and stand-offish.

While he can be petty and complain like a disgruntled old
man in comparison to some of the younger nations, China is probably one of the most
wholesome characters in the series.

Ex: He acts as a
mentor to Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong. The latter two live with him. 

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Ex: When Hong
Kong wants to leave China’s house, China begs for him to stay and promises to
stop cleaning Hong Kong’s room so often.

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Bonus Facts:

He doesn’t like to lose.

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He believes in fortune + luck and is able to see ‘monsters.’
Monster culture is just another way of Hima naming a nation’s ability to see magical
creatures.

Ex: He compiles an index of monsters. While it does contain
regular creatures, it also bears real monsters.

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Not to mention that the other nations expressed fear towards
China in “Hetalia of the Dead” as they believe that he’s fully capable of summoning
dark spirits.

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Amazing character, right?

I know that you’ve had some problems with this in the past, so I’m really sorry to inform you that I’ve noticed some of your memes floating around Pinterest without crediting you. Most of them that I’ve seen to my knowledge have been reposted from Instagram accounts that didn’t give you credit in the first place, so I’m not to sure that they even know that you were the person who created them in the first place. I’ve only seen a couple so far, but I don’t know if there are more floating about.

I know 😦  [Thank you for caring enough to send me this.]

Unfortunately, there’s not much I can do about it. I’ve tried reporting accounts both on instagram and pinterest, and only once have I successfully managed to get a post taken down. I’ve just resorted to guarding against plagiarism now by posting more gif or video memes so that their stubby, greedy little gremlin fingers can’t take a screenshot. I also notify anyone I’m following if I see their content being plagiarized.

The problem isn’t with these accounts posting the memes, it’s the fact that they don’t give credit. Either way, I’ll never understand how you can get any sort of gratification from stealing others’ content and being praised for it. I used to care about it more when I was just starting out. 

It’s also important to remember that a lot of these account-holders are young, and don’t really understand the implications of what they’re doing. Heck, I’ve made similar mistakes before in the past by posting fanart as my profile pic (I was completely unaware). Of course, I know better now and will never do it again. 

What we need to do is inform these people politely to give credit.

If they don’t listen, only then should we be doing something about it. Don’t insult or send them hate; you’d only be stooping down to their level of pettiness. A handful of reports and comments is really all the pressure that’s needed to get most people to change.

These accounts could do a lot of good for the fandom considering how large their platforms are and the potential exposure they can give. Work with them before attempting to work against them. 

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First off, let’s be clear that Russia’s relationship with
General Winter is not a healthy one. It’s among one of the darkest elements in the manga.

That said, General Winter is both a protector/guardian
of Russia and an enemy.

1) On one hand, he’s saved Russia from invading
armies.

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The only setback of this is that his protection doesn’t work
on countries who are used to the cold. It’s for this reason that Russia doesn’t
have high expectations for General Winter, despite calling on him in times of
desperation.

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It’s also important to note that at the time this strip took
place, both Russia and his sisters were powerless. He had no one to rely on but
General Winter, and even then, notice how passively devastated he is when he
realizes that he has no choice but to surrender.

“Do whatever you want.”

Those are the words of a child who has been repeatedly let down,
someone that hasn’t had their needs met and is used to surviving under abusive circumstances
– i.e. He was also under the repressive control of the Tatars here.

This brings me to my next point.

2) On the other hand, General Winter also attacks
Russia.

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Consider this. You’re constantly being jostled around by
tyrannical controlling leaders, and the one person who protects you also abuses
you. In other words, you have an inconsistent parent who switches back and
forth between a nurturing figure and a physically forceful tyrant with no
regard for your well-being.

How do you think that would affect a person, let alone a
nation who has survived long enough to endure several lifetimes of this?

It’s because General Winter has protected Russia before that
Russia relies on him. What’s problematic about this is what Russia’s taken from
this relationship. It affects everything he does; how he expresses his
emotions, who he trusts, who he regards as his friends, what he expects from
others, how he interacts with them, and what he falsely deems to be a suitable and
healthy relationship.

On top of this, we know for sure that Russia has been traumatized by
his  relationship with General Winter.

Ex: When Parallel
France attacks Russia during the 2010 Christmas Event, Russia calls on General
Winter for help. When General Winter is defeated, Russia breaks down into tears
and remarks how “similar” this incident is to the past.

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What’s more, notice how screwed up Russia’s relational
perceptions are.

He calls General
Winter a friend.

However, we know that in one of his character notes, he
refers to anyone he meets as a friend. It would follow, then, that Russia doesn’t know what a friend is. Simply put, he doesn’t know how to differentiate between the
good or the bad because he’s normalized this inconsistency. He expects that
others might be abusive, while at the same time provide for him – that’s what
he sees as a friend.

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As such, Russia repeats and mimics this inconsistent ‘affection’ in
how he interacts with the other nations.

Ex: He sends political pressure with hearts.

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How I see this is that it acts as a metaphor in representing
how Russia has equated love with force; they go hand in hand for him
because that’s what he’s accustomed to experiencing.

Likewise, since he has endured whole winters on his own
without any shelter, this also demonstrates the inconsistencies under which he was nurtured
and cared for during his childhood. Again, his sisters couldn’t always be there for
him.

A happy New Years’ was not freezing to death.

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This could also be why his heart falls out.

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On top of it literally being frozen during the Winter,
Russia has yet to learn what true love is. The care he received – cold
temperatures – was a double-edged sword in that it simultaneously assaulted and
insulted him. The warped love he knows is both forced on him and forced out of
him as he attempts [and fails] to make friends.

All he needs now is for someone to thaw through his frigid
past and to help him experience a healthy and consistent relationship.

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