Q: What I really want to know is why people ship Canada and
Netherlands,,, I’m not judging it, it looks quite cute but I don’t??
Understand???? Could you help out?
A: It’s a historically-based ship. During WW2, the Dutch Royal Family fled to Canada. When Princess Margriet was born, they declared the maternity to be Dutch territory so that she would retain her Dutch citizenship. Every year as thanks, the Dutch government sends close to a million tulips, and in return, Ottawa hosts a tulip festival every year. I’ll make sure to take some pictures since I live there.
Q: Hey, sorry to bother you, but do you have any information on
Ireland, Scotland, or Wales? I know they’re not official characters yet, but is
there anything on them?
A: You’re not bothering me! However, I’m not an information blog. If you’d like access to information, there’s an English translation of Hima’s blog, Bamboo Thicket. It’s an excellent resource if you’re looking for facts about specific characters.
Scotland and Ireland are undesigned characters but do have some character notes [x]
England is the son of four siblings, which includes North Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. He also doubles as the UK in representing them [x]
Q: For characters like Iceland, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Estonia
, micronations and other young/ teen characters ;do you think they live by
themselves or with a physically older nation and would they go to school or no?
A: The only school that all nations attend is the World Academy. It’s like a mini AU within the series. [x] Nations only live with each other if they lack independence.
Q: England is my least favourite Hetalia character. Enlighten
me and change my opinion, I don’t want to be the only tea-hating heathen in the
fandom!
A: I’ve done a lot of posts about this 😉 [x] [x][x][x]
You’re not a heathen, by the way. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion.
Q: It looks like Romano is getting over his inferiority complex
in recent years, in Liechtenstein strip he certainly is confident even when
Veneziano points out their grandpa’s inheritance to both of them.
A: I’m not so sure about that. Romano still consistently refers to Veneziano in a demeaning manner. He needs to stop calling Veneziano “stupid/ idiot little brother” if he’s to truly get over his inferiority complex.
Of course. How might I
forget that people depict him as cold and emotionless when in actuality…
…he’s a gigantic
sweetheart in his own awkward way.
France tells Germany out
of the blue to meet with him secretly and to dress inconspicuously.
Germany does this, no
questions asked.
Italy gains weight when
his country’s obesity rate rises.
Germany pulls up data to
prove that it’s okay if “handsome Italian men” have some stomach fat.
America doesn’t believe
the large reading on his bathroom scale and calls Germany for ‘electrical help.’
Once again, Germany
comes, no questions asked.
He also helps America
train harder to shed off some extra weight (it’s actually just muscle, but
America doesn’t realize this).
He loves his dogs.
He loves baking and
graciously shares this passion with others.
Italy: Babe, come over.
Germany: Can’t. Too busy at work.
Italy: I’ll tell you all the secrets about your past.
Germany:
When the sun shines, we shine together
Told you I’ll be here forever
Said I’ll always be your friend
Took an oath that I’m a stick it out till the end
You’re part of my entity, here for infinity When the world has took its part
When the world has dealt its cards If the hand is hard, together we’ll mend your heart
Anon 1: I didn’t forget that Germany’s states are personified. An example post is not purposed to provide
a full list of every case in the manga/ web comic. That’s why I provided
sources for people to search the “states and provinces” tag if they wanted a
more complete list of all state personifications.
However, since we’re on
that note, if anyone wants examples of German state personifications, several of
them are mentioned in the “Cleaning Prussia-san” game [x]. Saxony makes a few
formal appearances in the webcomic (e.g., one panel in the Maria Theresa Arc).
Hesse is the one with
the most formal appearances (e.g, 2011 Christmas strips, volume 5).
Lastly, since the states
aren’t actually personified in canon, that last part of your ask is a headcanon
(I just don’t want anyone to confuse this). But, yes, I’m often perplexed by
the whole ‘top secret’ trope. This is also the case for me in AUs where the nations
are kept as a secret from the public, when we know in canon that humans are aware of their existence.
Anon 2: I suppose, but there are
times where they are both referred to as Italy in conjunction. It’s an inconsistency I’ve noticed in the series.
Like you said, Romano is
referred to as Italy in Lithuania’s outsourcing pt. 3.
However, they’re both
seen representing Italy [in general] at a world meeting in an incompleted strip. (not canon,
just used for demonstrative purposes).
Likewise, what I find
odd is that when they’re given EU profiles, Veneziano is referred to as Italy,
meanwhile Romano is specified as South Italy. [x]
Either way, there’s no
real reason provided in canon to account for this, so I just accept it how it
is.
Q: If there are two
Italies, how come Veneziano is referred to as Italy and Romano isn’t?
A: There’s no
real reason given. It’s just how it is.
The other nations generically refer to Veneziano as Italy, and
Romano as “Italy’s older brother” – Romano gets pissed off at this since he
resents being stuck in Veneziano’s shadow.
Nonetheless, BOTH are Italy.
Q: What did Chibitalia represent? Did anything
change?
A: Nothing’s changed in what he represents. Veneziano has always represented the north of the country, and Romano, the south.
The only difference
then is that Italy was fragmented into several small city-states after the
Roman Empire fell. The country wasn’t as
consolidated.
By this, I mean that each city-state was diverse and different
enough to be considered as a nation in its own right. Veneziano and Romano were
the collective personifications of these states. Similarly, their names are
each likely references to Venice and Rome, city-states that were thriving with
culture at the time.
Veneziano refers to his half of the country as his house, meaning
that when city-states under his jurisdiction were conquered, he would also be
conquered.
This is seen when Milan gets thrown into a war between
France and Prussia. When Milan gets taken over by Spain, it’s Veneziano who’s
captured. Again, he represents the collective of these northern city-states.
“This is how the War of Austrian succession looked like. Basically, everybody just bullying Austria. At one point, Northern Italy (Milan) got caught in a war between between France and Prussia, not noticing Spain surrounding him from the South until he got kidnapped.” [x]
The same thing goes for Romano.
He was once conquered as Naples by France [parts of Veneziano were also conquered here].
Q:Would APH Genoa still be alive today?
A: It’s difficult to say since we don’t see him in the
present, so I can only speculate.
However, I would guess that it’s possible for a variety of
reasons.
1) Personifications are personality-based. These personalities
are based on how strong the culture(s) of a collective organization of people are [x]. Since
Italians are so diverse and tend to identify themselves regionally, it’s
possible that while Genoa is no longer a city-state, he can still be a
personification of Genoan culture.
2) It’s stated that when the culture dies and the personification
loses their nationhood, they either die or become a representative of the
region. In other words, he could be active in politics. [x]
3) This one is more unclear and open-ended, but it’s
still substantiated in canon. We’ve seen personifications that technically
should be dead still existing well past their date of dissolution.
Ex: Holy Rome.
If that’s the case, then Genoa could still exist, either because his culture is still there, or for no explicit reason. Nationhood is often very flimsy and loosely defined in the
series.
You also have to factor in the existence of the micronations, where
even Hima states that the reasons that founded their existence are “amazing” – as in no concrete rules
apply to them. It also has to do with the bizarre reasons regarding how they formed in real life. [x]
It’s likewise important to mention that real nations are often just as perplexed by the existence of micronations.
In sum, it’s possible for Genoa to still be alive if you use
the canon rules I provided; however, it’s not canon.
Q: Is State-talia
real or OC?
State-talia is real. You can find notes on states and
provinces if you search the tag in the English translation of Hima’s blog
(Bamboo Thicket)
Tag: states and provinces
Ex: China’s provinces are personified.
Ex: Japan’s prefectures [blog only] and feudal clans/territories are
personified [make appearances in the manga]
Interestingly, these feudal clans/territories still exist during Japan’s Westernization phase. Again, the rules of nationhood are loose, and personifications don’t always die and fade out right away.
Sometimes it takes a while before they die, and other times they won’t die at all.
Osaka, a previous feudal domain, later evolved to become a prefecture from the Meiji era
– present.
Ex: America’s states are not personified, but Hima does
provide a hypothetical description of what they would be like in their relation
to America [x]. There’s also a brief dialogue between some states.
Notice how America refers to his country as his house in the
case that his states were personified. It’s the same exact situation with North
Italy. Point is, there’s a consistent rule here.
Given that Genoa is personified, it would be possible for the city-states in each Italies’ house to be personified as well.
Before I start, it’s important to go over and situate a few
things. The nations’ immortality is more of a curse than it is a blessing.
They’ve experienced countless wars, plagues, political strife, and have even
died, only to be regenerated.
Now, unlike humans who have been blindsided with the rough
backhand of fate, the nations are forced to relive these pains over and over
again. It would be enough to drive a normal person mad.
In other words, their immortality was a prison that kept them
locked into a systemic cycle of bloodshed. What adds to this prison imagery is
that they’re obligated to listen to their bosses and fight in wars that they don’t
necessarily want to participate in.
Nowadays, this prison more has to do with loneliness. They
still follow their bosses’ orders, but the restrictions on their freedom are
not nearly as pervasive.
Ex: England’s sweet and alcohol intake is regulated by his
boss.
Regardless, Germania and Ancient Rome best exemplify how
their freedom was gained not by their immortality, but rather, the loss of it.
They were “liberated” from their bosses and war upon dying.
France is another good example of this. He gives better
insight into how heartless history can be in tossing peoples’ lives around. When
he first sees Lisa, Jeanne d’Arc’s reincarnate, he believed that God was
playing a cruel trick on him. On its own, this already proves how betrayed and
hurt France felt after her death.
Nonetheless, France still keeps his faith and believes that
humans who have had rough past lives will be reborn into happier ones. He
doesn’t have this privilege.
The purpose of this post will be to illustrate how the
nations’ immortality has historically caused them to live through many
traumatic events. It would follow, then, that being reared in such unhealthy
environments would cause some of them to develop PTSD.
In fact, there is a mounting pile of canon evidence that
depicts the nations having discomforting flashbacks, severe anxiety, and
nightmares. That said, let’s go over some examples.
America:
When his settlers moved inland, America didn’t have many
belongings to his name. England ponders why America produces things in mass and
comes to the realization that America’s overconsumption of goods likely stems
from this impoverished period of his life.
Note the use of the word traumatized.
Lithuania:
Lithuania has a flashback to when he and the other Baltic
States declared their independence from the USSR. He then experiences another
flashback, where Russia squeezes his shoulder – it’s used as a metaphor to
represent political repression.
Lithuania is so immersed in this second flashback that he
begins squeezing Estonia’s and Latvia’s shoulders without realizing it.
One of his character notes also mentions that he’s been rebilitating after his time spent in the USSR.
England:
England doubts his capacity to care for young America. The
stress of this new responsibility causes him to have a flashback of his older
brothers sending him hexes.
It’s noted that England once suffered from 100 years of heartbreak, presumably a reference to the American Revolution.
This is a theory of mine, as it isn’t confirmed in canon, but given that England coughs up blood and gets ill on the fourth of July, I think that it is meant to symbolize how he still hasn’t recovered emotionally from America’s independence. In other words, each year, England’s heart is both literally and figuratively ripped open on the inside.
Japan:
While this example is a more subtle depiction of trauma, it’s
not surprising.
Although this isn’t covered in the strips, following WW2, Japan
would have become America’s underling. As such, the atrocities committed by the
atomic bombs would have made him visibly more compliant to America’s demands,
regardless if he agreed or not.
This is seen in a world meeting where Japan unanimously agrees
with America’s ridiculous global warming plan. Switzerland even calls out Japan
for not voicing his true opinion.
Switzerland:
Switzerland’s mercenary past still haunts him. Lichtenstein
perceptively reads into this as she asks him why they’re working to boost her income through tourism.
Italy:
Italy’s perhaps one of the most anxiety-ridden characters in
the series.
Ex: He worries that Germany hates him and has nightmares
about this. His greatest fear is being left behind to fend for himself.
This insecurity leads him to make Germany reaffirm to him several times that he’s not actually hated.
Ex: Italy has nightmares where a childhood version of himself
presses to be acknowledged.
The dream ends with Italy screaming and refusing to
acknowledge the child. To me, and as I’ve theorized in the past, I read this as
Italy repressing parts of his childhood to minimize and forget about the trauma
that he experienced. The child is merely a representation of his unconscious
mind.
Germany:
Germany also has a childhood version of himself pressing to
be acknowledged. Of course, this is running on the assumption that he’s
actually Holy Rome and has forgotten about his childhood.
Similarly, he’s once depicted to be holding Chibitalia,
looking visibly confused.
“It’s me.”
Again, how I see this is that perhaps Germany is repressing
aspects of his childhood. In that case, Chibitalia is an unconscious
representation of these memories attempting to pierce through to his conscious
mind.
All in all, given how long the nations have lived, it’s not
novel to assume that they’re still traumatized by things that have happened to
them in the past.
I want to begin by pointing out that I’m simply presenting
canon information. That is, what we’ve seen about religion in the strips.
Just because one nation follows the dominant religion of their
people doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t hold their own beliefs or can’t
engage in the religious practices of other groups amongst their citizenry – all
I’m saying is that the latter point hasn’t been demonstrated in the series.
It’s also important to mention that the nations are
stereotypical personifications – they’re not characterized for specificity.
With all that in mind, religion in Hetalia encompasses a
generalized population rule. Similar to how they’re affected by the demographic
statistics of their citizens (e.g., their weight, income, behavioural habits),
the nations have also historically abided by the most dominant religion in
their country.
The Clergy as a ‘Boss’:
Since the Church used to be the Head of State, they would
have also been the respective personification’s boss.
Ex: We saw this with England, who spent some time on the run
from a Bishop who ordered him to cut his hair.
The Personification as a Religious Entity:
Ex: Prussia first emerged as a Catholic religious order.
As a reflection of his people and their beliefs, he was
therefore extremely religious.
Ex: There’s also Knights Templar, who likewise represented
a Catholic religious order.
War:
The Polish-Swedish wars are a good example of how the
different religious orientations of the two countries are reflected in their personifications.
Conversion:
As mentioned above, the nations only follow a religion if it’s
prevalent within their population.
Ex: During the year 1000 [the Christian Millennium Apocalypse),
France and England truly believed that the world was going to end.
France feared going to hell. Because he thought they were both
going to die anyway, England fulfilled France’s last wish and pretended to be
conquered by him (ironic, considering that the Norman Conquest wasn’t that far
in the future).
Meanwhile, Hungary who had just converted to Christianity
that year, hadn’t yet acquired the religious beliefs that would have also made
her fearful of the so-called apocalypse.
Ex: There’s also this beautiful gem of a scene where Iceland’s
converted to Christianity. Note again how this happens only because his people
are being converted.
There is a Real God in Canon Verse:
Ex: Despite being a secular state in modern times, France
still believes in God. This is seen in his encounter with Lisa, Jeanne d’Arc’s
reincarnate.
Ex: Ancient Rome ties up God so that he’s able to leave Heaven and visit Veneziano.
Ex: God visits Hungary in her dreams and orders her to hit
France with her frying pan.
Ex: God visits Estonia in his dreams and fulfills his
fantasy to be surrounded by girls.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a religion-based post without mentioning the Vatican. While he doesn’t have an official design and appearance, Hima does say what his personality would be like should he ever become canon.
I’m not an expert, far from it! All I do is link strips to make sense out of canon information. Religion actually comes up quite a bit in the strips, more than you’d think.
Vatican City is only mentioned by Hima in passing on his blog and lacks an official design/ formal appearance. He’s hypothetically described as an old man that would constantly get into arguments/make up with Italy.
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