I have not, but I’d be happy to share some rules of thumb that I’ve developed in helping to explain their aging process. No problem at all.
Post coming up tonight!
America as: First Year Hogwarts Student
England as: Sorting Hat
America: Oh boy, I hope I get Gryffindor!
*sits on sorting ceremony stool and nervously pulls out a
burger*
England: Hufflestuff!
America: …Don’t you mean Hufflepuff?
England: NEXT!
I’ve seen this question enough times where I think it’s
important to differentiate between a few things.
Misconception #1: That nations are a reflection of their governments.
This couldn’t be the more opposite. Countless times
throughout the series, the nations have been shown to do things against their
will. Right from the get-go, this rule is established in chapter 1 of World Stars.
The nations may not agree with their bosses, but they
nonetheless accept their fate, resign, and obligately listen and do what they’re
told–not that it makes it right, nor am I justifying it.
Likewise, the nations represent their people. Yes, they’re
political in the sense that they’re forced to work for their governments, but
it’s important to remember that they’re cultural and historical
personifications.
They don’t represent the government. The nations represent
their people in whole; the government is only a small part of that.
In other words, likewise to the stereotypes they embody, the
nations are a symbol of their people’s cultural identity.
Think of it this way: when you identify yourself with a
national identity, is it predicated on the negative actions of your government?
No.
Then why apply the same faulty logic to the nations?
What the government does is not a reflection of that
nation’s culture. That said, it wouldn’t make sense to attribute the actions of
a political minority onto a cultural personification that represents the
majority. Not to mention that again, the nations are often forced to follow
their bosses’ orders.
Misconception #2:
Political Enemies = Personal Enemies
Remember that the nations themselves are people too.
Regardless of the wartime alliances they get involved in, they’re more often
than not able to transcend over them. While war may impact how they formally relate
to each other, it doesn’t impact the past that they’ve shared and experienced
together (spanning across decades, centuries, and sometimes even millennia).
So, while they may be enemies during war, when fighting
isn’t necessary, the nations will still interact and see each other as friends
above all else. Political relations between national leaders is more orientated
in the present, whereas due to long-established and developed relationships, the nations are more influenced by the past. However, that doesn’t mean that they hold grudges either. It just means that they have more to consider.
Misconception #3: Tense Relations = Incompatibility
Like I said above, the nations are humans too. Yes, their
countries may not have had/have the best relations, but that doesn’t
automatically mean that the respective personifications won’t get along either.
The best example of this is how Russia and America interact
with each other, especially in modern
times. They may not be the best of friends, but they still share a considerably
familiar and comfortable relationship.
I’m
not so sure about that. I wouldn’t say always.
Young America was shown to
develop this strength at an early age because of the abundance of settlers that
propelled his economy forward. However, because he lacked true independence,
was taxed a lot by England and fought wars for the latter, there were times
where America was considerably weakened. His “economy [became] strained.”
Likewise, he had initially lost a lot of battles in the
Revolution before making a comeback. He wasn’t as strong then compared to what
we see depicted of him more in the strips.
Once he became independent, America likely gained this super
strength back + some. You also have to consider how he lost strength again as a
result of the Great Depression.
Nonetheless, he didn’t become a Superpower, which includes
global political and economic dominance until after WW2. A Superpower status
only added to his physical strength, allowing it to grow to unprecedented
levels unlike any other nation but Russia, his rival.
In other words, America’s strength fluctuated as a result of his
economic situation. Now add independence and a Superpower status, and you have
an unprecedented amount of strength.
Whether it’s due to war or a stock crash, the nations will
develop colds during economic recessions.
Their physical strength is dependent on their economy.
While the nations are immortal, they do age, albeit gradually.
Ex: China is commonly referred to as an old man/ grandpa and
tires easily.
Ex: Japan can’t do strenuous exercise, also makes a constant
mention of his old age, and suffers from health complications as a result of
his high sodium intake.
The nations’ weight is influenced by the average weight of their population.
If obesity levels rise, they’ve been seen to gain weight.
However, America seems to be the exception to this rule due
to working out excessively and trying all sorts of diets and exercise machines.
In reality, the extra weight he perceives is actually just muscle.
A nation’s blood type is dependent on the most common one
within their population.
A lot considering that his boss had to place a limit on how much he’s allowed to have.
Even better is that America commends England’s boss for doing this.
This is an
excellent question, but to me, I felt like this strip was more open-ended in
how you interpreted it. That’s why I didn’t include France, as it wasn’t solidly
confirming anything.
Here’s the
full justification for it.
England’s
sleeping, surrounded by his fairie friends. Like you said, they get scared when
they hear France knocking on the door.
Judging by
France’s reaction here, this is the first time he’s seeing fairies.
Then, you
have England’s flustered reaction about France not knocking.
Taken together,
it seems like England letting his guard down by sleeping might have actually
activated his powers in allowing France to see the fairies. We’re only given
information about the fact that he has this ability when nations come to his house, not whether he can consciously
or unconsciously evoke and control it.
Of course,
with Hetalia, the one exception to the rule always seems to be Halloween. The
fairies/ ghosts have no problem showing themselves to skeptics then.
Ex: France
encounters Napoleon’s ghost during the 2013-2014 Christmas Event.
He can 100% perform magic.
That’s just a dub inconsistency regarding his Magic Club in the World Academy.
(Psst. The dub isn’t canon.)
Sure thing! Although, I’m going to omit talking about ghosts for the most part, as there’s still some inconsistencies I’m piecing through with a few of the characters.
Supernatural post coming up tonight!
Ellawritesficssometimes 