Anon: Thank you ❤ Sending my cringy but well-intentioned vibes your way as well!
👩🏽
———-> 😎
@justanotheraccountpassingby Thank you so much 😀 Uh idk dude. I just read and write a lot. The more you write, the better you get. It’s as simple as that.
Reading helps more with your comprehension and analytical skills. You tend to find more connections if you read a source multiple times. Your analytical skills also improve the more you summarize and paraphrase material for school essays and the like.
As for critical thinking (at least for what I do in this blog), that would involve learning how to become an active vs a passive reader. When I read stuff, I always jot down notes, write memos to myself, and mark out short blurbs outlining key concepts/ themes. It makes it easier to break things down later when you have to analyze it. The same would apply to any other media/ source of information tbh.
Hope that helped!
The purpose of this post is to delineate the fact that
nations that have cultural influences on each other are not biologically
related. While the influencee may adopt traits from the influencer in some
cases, it doesn’t always constitute a biological relation. What’s even more
confusing is that there are specific adopted traits that the nations use to
mark a biological relation.
I know this sounds obscure, but it’ll make sense when I go
through some examples.
Romania and Bulgaria
vs Romano and Veneziano:
A gag with Romania in the series is that he claims that he’s
a descendant of Rome, and, therefore, an Italy brother.
However, even though Rome did, in fact, instill significant
cultural influence in Romania, Romano is quick to reject this claim. He
identifies the presence of a curl as proof of biological lineage from Rome.
Remember that Rome is said to have had many grandchildren and adopted
grandchildren.
Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 163 + Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., October 30th, 2014).
Later, we see the same rejection occur with Bulgaria, who
has Roman ruins.
Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Oct 22nd, 2014).
England, America,
Finland, and France: (+ more)
As I’ve stated before, England and America are not
biologically related. England is stated to be the fourth and youngest sibling
in his family, consisting of Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.
Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Aug 4th 2010).
In the Battle for America, it’s explicitly stated that
England becomes America’s brother. We also learn that because America was a
“melting pot” of several cultures at the time, he inherited certain physical
traits from his colonizers.
Source: Hetarchive, The Battle of America.
For example, in the trio’s feud to make America their little
brother, Finland notices that America looks like him.
The distinction between cultural influence and blood
relation is necessary otherwise it would lead to a slippery slope where all
nations are related to each other. So, unless explicitly confirmed by Himaruya,
nations aren’t related to each other regardless of their histories. Arbitrary
as the biological relations may be, you work with what’s given to you.
Lastly, I’ve seen people comment that there’s a confirmed
biological relation between America and Finland. That’s not the case. Finland says that America has some genes from his people. Remember that America emerged as a personification representing several cultures. The genes are the traits, but because America has so many cultural influences, they don’t consider each other to be blood-related.
The fact that America didn’t identify with Finland as a
family member in the first place is telling of this cultural influence, as well
as the fact that Finland offers to become a father figure for America, who in
the context of the strip had been feeling jealous of kids who get presents from their fathers on Christmas.
Source: Hetarchive, Christmas 2010 Event.
France and Canada:
Similar to the situation with England and America, Canada
inherits France’s hair.
Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 192.
France, America, Canada, and Seychelles vs England, Hong
Kong, India, Australia, New Zealand, Hutt River, Sealand, and Wy:
We learn that France’s cultural influence is a dominant trait
that prevents America, Canada, and Seychelles from inheriting England’s bushy
brows. Although, interestingly enough, Seychelles had initially been designed
to have one thick eyebrow and one bushy one to represent English and French influence.
Source: Hetarchive, Seychelles profile.
Meanwhile, without French influence, Hong Kong, Australia,
New Zealand, Hutt River, Sealand, & Wy inherited the bushy brows.
Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans.,Nov 12th 2013) + Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 269.
Of most importance and what I can’t stress enough is the
example of Hong Kong. It proves, with the most clarity, that cultural influence
does not have a causal relationship with biological relation.
After becoming English territory, Hong Kong’s eyebrows grow
bushy from the resulting English influence on his culture.
Source: Volume 6, A wise man has no specialty.
It’s said that England put a curse on him to have his eyebrows become so thick, but you also have to remember that England’s eyebrows themselves are cursed. The implications would be that his influence caused the curse to pass on.
Source: Volume 5, Special Booklet.
Point is, as far as Himaruya’s concerned with his
characterizations:
I love how you differentiated between mistakes and “mistakes.” Pretty counter-productive when people are coming to this series expecting historical accuracy when it’s based on a model of stereotypes (obviously not to be confused with cultural sensitivity ^^).
Note: This theory
makes the assumption that Holy Rome is Germany. It also makes the assumption that Prussia evolved
to adopt the title of East Germany. I will also be talking about specific
evidence in this post. For more detail and evidence regarding my thoughts about
the Holy Rome = Germany connection, here’s a slew of previous posts for that. It
includes things like memory repression, faked rebirth, the role of culture in
nationhood, and other similar goodies.
As I re-read the material, I’ve noticed something
odd that could account for the reason that Germany hasn’t come to the conclusion
– at least overtly – that he’s Holy Rome.
That is, there’s a significant gap in his relationship with
Prussia.
We know that post-WW2, Prussia ended up under Russia’s
control, working unprofitable jobs.
Source: Hetarchive, Notes & Etc.
We also know that Russia heavily censored Prussia’s communications
with other nations during the Soviet Era.
Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Oct 30th 2013).
Ex: A letter that
Prussia sent to Austria was heavily censored by Russia.
If that’s the case, it would be likely that the two had very
little communication with each other outside of meetings. Even then, we know
that Russia attended meetings on the Baltic trio’s behalf, so that’s another
factor to consider if the same rule were to apply to Prussia as East Germany.
More importantly, this gap in communication is demonstrated
in more subtle ways too.
Ex: After the fall
of the Berlin Wall, Germany is surprised to find how tattered and rugged
Prussia’s appearance is (note the presumable East German car model Prussia uses).
Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Oct 8th 2013).
Ex: Prussia also
talks about Ostalgie (a combined word illustrating nostalgia for East German life)
in another strip. Point is, it highlights that the brothers lived separately for several decades.
Source: Hetarchive, Germany’s Playing an Impossible Game.
“’We have to get rid of the “wall in out hearts,” so that the country can get better and the progress will be naturally more effective! When the Ostalgie level gets higher, Russia imposes himself on my big brother.”
Child of the Past:
Working off the section above, we also know that there’s a
lot of murky waters when it comes to how the series discusses Germany’s past.
For one thing, we know that Prussia has lied about stories
of his own past and that Germany took them at a face value. This scene in the
Christmas 2011 event makes us question whether Prussia may have lied about
aspects of Germany’s past as well.
Ex: Prussia’s account of Germany’s history starts from the
formation of modern-day Germany. He doesn’t delve past that, which is
questionable.
Source: Hetarchive, Christmas Event 2011.
We also know from hints in Buon San Valentino that Germany
may be suffering from memory loss. The basic gist of the scene is that Germany
gets so overwhelmed that he blacks out. The scene then pans in on his brain and
the next panels illustrate fuzzy images of Chibitalia as if Germany is
recalling a lost memory.
Source: Hetarchive, Buon San Valentino pt 3.
Another instance where Himaruya potentially plays with the
idea of Germany and memory loss is this panel here. It seemingly depicts him
having a fuzzy dream. What’s interesting is that this looks very similar to
what his other birth scenes look like.
Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, April 15th, 2011).
vs
Source: Volume 6 + Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 12.
The reason I bring up these examples is that if Germany
truly is an amnesiac Holy Rome, then at the time that Buon San Valentino took
place (WW2), he was consciously like a child compared to other personifications
who’ve lived for centuries and millennia.
Perhaps it’s for this reason that Prussia didn’t want to
tell Germany about his forgotten past, because it would be too soon and
traumatic to bring up.
Now factor in the gap and lack of communication between
Prussia and Germany post-WW2.
The question I’m asking and want people to think about: Is
it that Prussia still sees Germany as a child and hasn’t felt it necessary to
tell him these secrets? There’s also the fact that because it’s such a
personal, familial matter, other nations haven’t bothered to intrude and tell
Germany this themselves.
Not a passive
spectator:
Lastly, I just want to end on the note that Germany isn’t a passive
spectator in this equation.
While he’s quick to denounce anything that isn’t scientific –
e.g., discounting ghosts, such as Quintillus, a Roman emperor – I think at some
level Germany knows that not everything lines up.
Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 41.
What if he’s interested in looking at Roman history because
he wants to know his roots?
Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, October 20th, 2014).
Or could it be that he wants to know more about Rome and how
he died and studies Roman history as an indirect way of approaching this?
Source: Hetarchive, Together with Grandpa Rome.
Notice how uncomfortable and unsure Germany looks.
This RARELY happens.
If there was another Holy Rome personification that died,
shouldn’t they be in heaven too…like Rome? Could it be that Germany is second-guessing
his status and realizes that just like how Prussia, Austria, and Hungary (to
name a few) have been able to adopt new titles regarding what they represent, the same thing occurred with him?
Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 1.
Or how about the undeniable fact that they look exactly
alike?
Source: Hetascanlations. Edited photo, from left to right; Germany World Stars Chapter 12 + Holy Rome World Stars chapter 187.
When your friends didn’t study for a test and you have to teach them all the material at the last minute
Ellawritesficssometimes 