Q & A

Not 100% sure, but
Himaruya has cited Osprey’s publishing work as his main source for military
uniforms [x]. If you would like more insight into the resources he uses, you can
skim through Bamboo Thicket. He lists dozens of the books that he uses as
history sources.

Side note: If
anyone’s ever wondering why some of the facts on the Roman emperors are a bit
off from mainstream understandings, Himaruya is really into new theories about
them that contradict traditional historical narratives.

Speaking of ancients, am I the only who thinks
it’s weird that Korea’s portrayed to be so young? I think the theory is because
of the division of Korea, but it kinda irks me when fans make him out to be
this immature little perv (I know Hima wrote him as such but still) because
Korea has almost 2000 years of culture and history; the fact that he’s seen as
“younger” than Japan is kinda wild too considering the south half of the
peninsula was the one to filter tech from China to the island.

No, I get that. Those choices were made in poor taste.
However, there’s also the possibility that Korea is second generation,
just like Egypt and Greece are with their ancient counterparts. It really
depends, because you also have Japan, China, and Turkey who don’t have ancient
counterparts,

Just laying out the possibility, but it’s important to note
that this hasn’t been confirmed.

Is the BTT a canon trio?

Their dynamic is, not the name [x] [x] [x].

Ok so I’m not sure
if America’s glasses are fake or real because I remember I was reading the
manga and he was talking to Canada and said “I tried wearing glasses how do
they look” (chapter 207)so that had to be around 1845 or early 1846 so if his
glasses are real glasses I guess he would start to need them as Texas became
more powerful. The stronger Texas is the worse America’s vision is and the more
he relies on his glasses.

He got them in an
unspecified period after his independence. However, given that they represent
Texas, I’m fairly certain it’s 1845 [x].

In consistency with the
rules from chapter 1 of world stars, France and England note that America’s
personality changed after he gained them (*title changes) [x].

They’re not real glasses,
though. In addition to representing land, they serve the purpose of a superhero
trope (e.g., Clark Kent taking off his glasses and becoming Superman) [x] [x].

They can eat, but I don’t recall them every being shown to
have any teeth…or any internal organs for that matter…[x] [x]

They have limbs and can produce flags.

Spain: How thin is your patience? Asking for a friend ^^

Romano:

Q & A

It’s hard to believe Canada is older than
America lol

Again, given that England’s way of measuring age is who
learned the alphabet first—not to mention the uneasiness on
his face—I don’t think we can take that as a fact. It’s something
to keep in mind, an approximation, but not a tangible answer [x].

How do you think the nation’s interact with major
international/regional events (ie the World Cup). Off the example of the World
Cup, do you think they would have any part of it (ie, helping to greet their
NT, or shaking opposing nations hands before a match, etc) or would they be
just watching it/being as involved as normal people are? Watching tv, going to
games etc. thank you so much for all your content!

You’re welcome! I’m glad
you like it!

As far as I’m concerned,
it would be the latter. We’ve seen Romano and Italy abandon work to watch Fifa
2010 (due to other Italians being reported to do this), and there’s also the
scene where Romano and Spain watch professional soccer together [x].

Can you sum up the depiction of the American Revolution for
me?

That’s something you can
read for yourself! [x] [x] [x] [x].

But, you can have an
image of their mochis that’s coincidentally accurate of the event [x].

Hiya! So you’ve probably done a thing on this
already but could you make a thing about how rude Canada is?? He was pretty
mean in parts of the manga but those could’ve been faked idk

After you asked this, I did a post on the subject [x]. This is another misconception
concluding that Canada’s being mean without giving any context. He can be mean,
but it’s important to understand the reason for it. When he loses his temper,
it’s because he’s been pushed and taken advantage of too far. His anger doesn’t
just emerge in a vacuum.

It wasn’t fake either. Canada had and still has
a lot of pent-up frustration from being constantly compared to larger powers, especially America [x].

So Germany’s interested in Roman History?

Yes. There are numerous instances where he’s archiving and compiling
past historical records [x].

Q & A

Can I request some wholesome Britain please? 🇬🇧

Of course! England was the first person to follow America on Twitter [x].

to what extent are the countries affected by
climate/weather extremes in their countries? for example how would aussie be
affected by the droughts going on right now?

Two ways, as far as I’m
concerned.

They experience the
natural weather just like any other regular human does.

Ex: America hating the
cold weather [x].

Climate has also been
proven to impact the nation’s personality.

Ex: Iceland’s hot and
cold personality respectively stems from the volcanic activity and cool weather
of his country [x].

Do you think Romano was aware/ever became aware
of the fact that he got special treatment? Do you think he was happy about
that? (I have not read all of the comics so forgive me if it’s been stated in
canon.

He didn’t realize it
until he read a Spanish history textbook as an adult.

Vietnam once asks him to
teach her how to smile [x].

I
also hold that England and Romano are realistic. I’m tired of the criticism of
people hating on characters whose moods aren’t picture perfect. People are like
this in real life. Another character I would add is Italy and America; both
mask their insecurities by overcompensating with smiles.

What this post intends to do is use Horney’s theory of
personality to analyze why Germany’s strive for perfection and productivity
comes at the cost of compromising his true self and confidence.

Tyranny of the Shoulds:

The tyranny of the shoulds is a term that Horney coined to
explain the occurrence in which someone’s idealized self-image replaces their genuine
self-confidence. What the person strives to be and appears to others acts as
their confidence, whereas they don’t feel confident in who they truly are,
ultimately forcing them to continually put up the former front of
superficiality. An extreme form of this would be the person developing feelings
of shame and disgrace toward their real self.

Put another way, the real self (who you are) is replaced by
how one should be. For example:

“One should always be productive.”

“One should always be punctual.”

“One should never give up.”

“One should be in control of one’s feelings.”

“One should schedule one’s day to maximize utmost
efficiency.”

Sound familiar? It should, because these are the shoulds
Germany is ruled by.

This neurotic compulsion to strive to be someone you’re not
eventually leads to the person internalizing this ideal, albeit unrealistic,
sense of self. The consequence of surrendering your real self compromises the
person’s chances of achieving personal growth and happiness. They’re never
happy with themselves and only focus
on how they present themselves to others.

How does this relate to Germany?

In Germany’s case, he puts up a front of competence, order,
and productivity. He shoulders a lot of pressure to hold up the EU and has
internalized this responsibility to look after other member-states [x].

His work self has become his primary identity…his master
status.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that he’s incapable of unwinding. He’s very favourable of vacations [x].

Nonetheless, there’s no doubt that he’s a workaholic [x].

Ex: Several character notes identity him as bearing an
overly serious and compulsive personality type.

Ex: He has a whole character song dedicated to schedules, punctuality,
and routine. Public appearances are an indication of self-worth to him [x] [x]

Consequences:

Because Germany identifies with his work self, he’s
internalized repressing his emotions to the point that when he does experience
them (e.g., embarrassment, happiness), he becomes incompetent and lacks
confidence in himself.

Ex: He’s not used to being praised for his abilities outside
of work life. In this case, he doesn’t know how to react when Italy commends
him for his drawing skills [x].

Ex: He’s well-known for his inability to smile [x].

Ex: When it comes to interpersonal life, Germany is clueless
and has to rely on manuals (e.g., dating advice, teaching him how to smile). He
doesn’t need manuals for matters like business or economics due to familiarity
and experience, but when it comes to socializing he sheds this cloak of
competence and becomes dysfunctional without them [x].

There are also instances where Germany’s work self overrides
others’ impression of him, even when he attempts to be personal and social.

Ex: His first character note in World Stars [x].

Ex: Italy mistakes him as being angry [x].

In sum, I’d like to end this with a passage from his
character song “Einsamkeit” that best exemplifies how his work self has
compromised who he truly is. He’s essentially alienated himself despite frequently being surrounded by other nations for his work [x].