I’m still not too sure about this one, but since this is
also another thing that’s been heavily requested, I have no problem explaining
what little I do understand from it. That is, if there is even any thing to
make sense of…

We’ve seen that the nations can transport or travel across
borders in a short period of time. The first thing I’ve noticed about this
ability is that it requires some sort of connection. In the “We’re Shipwrecked”
strip, since China has villas – China towns – all over the world, he’s able to
use them as a method of transport, travelling as far as the island of
Seychelles.

In the Christmas 2011 Event, this idea of connection comes
up again as Russia proposes to Japan that they build a bridge in order to
connect their houses, making it easier to travel.

However, there are times when transporting is difficult for
the nations. In my opinion, I think distance is the key factor here. For
example, we see that Italy travels to Germany by crossing over through
Switzerland on foot.

In the 2010 Christmas Event, we also see Finland travelling
to Sweden’s and Germany’s houses without any difficulties. On the other hand,
when asked to interview Seychelles and Greece, Finland either mails or texts
them.

For Seychelles, Finland states that “her land is a bit far.”
You also likely have to factor in the obstacles of water (or mountain ranges,
deserts etc.) in travelling, as not all countries are connected by land, or if
they are, it’s not always flat and easy to travel across.

It seems that distance and connections between landmasses is
what allows and/or inhibits the nations to travel on foot, as opposed to more standard
means.

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How they came to be:

At just 20 years old and
now a Sergeant, Ludwig Beilschmidt is taking Berlin’s criminal underground by
storm. He was bred into this lifestyle, having inherited his family’s blue
blood footsteps. He’s a genius (literally) at what he does, and seems to be
able to crack the mind of any culprit he investigates. His mind works like a
clock; calculated, timely, and efficient. There is nothing he can’t figure out,
and is often spotted thinking to himself, so absorbed in his thoughts that you
can practically hear the cogs whirring in his brain.

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Among his colleagues, he
is viewed as obstinate and stiff, but is still very much respected for the
outstanding reputation his hard work has contributed to the force. Some say
that he never blinks, let alone sleeps. The tell-tale sign that something is
wrong is when you don’t hear the click and scratch of a pen, that and the
furious patter of typing up reports.

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Being on the streets is
another matter entirely. He specializes in cracking down on drug syndicates,
and is comparable to a military commander with the way he and his dogs snap at
the heels of those he’s pursuing. He’s ruthless, obsessive, stubborn, and
refuses to give up until the culprit is behind bars.

Those who are closer to
Ludwig, however, know there is a darker side to him, one that is better left
uninvestigated. A bloodhound himself, Ludwig knows when he is being watched by
those jealous and skeptical of his achievements. There are rumours that he has
an extremely short temper and will completely snap at the mention of his older
brother’s suspected mental illness. It’s best to give Ludwig his space and to
not keep too close. He’s not very sociable, nor is he much of a people pleaser.
Socializing and formalities simply aren’t his forte.

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This is just speculation,
but supposedly two officers who suspected Ludwig of using corrupt methods in
gaining evidence were killed in a hit-and-run incident. The reports, Ludwig’s
reports
, have deemed it as an accident. There are many who believe otherwise,
but are too afraid to speak up and accuse him of any wrongdoing.

Foul play is indeed
suspected in Ludwig’s work, but he’s established himself to the point that it’s
nearly impossible to challenge his authority – no – his reign over the other
officers.

Killing Methods:

True to some of the other
officers’ suspicions, Ludwig is in fact a very naughty cop.

After agreeing to absolve
their charges, Ludwig formed a mutually-binding contract with two ex-Italian
mafia members. The deal goes as followed: The Italians act as spies and give
him information about the criminal world, and in return, Ludwig lets them seek
refuge in his home, guaranteeing them full protection.

The Italians aren’t the
only ones who get their hands dirty, though. Ludwig has no problem murdering
anyone who obstructs his work, especially
if they’re criminals. His favourite code word is vacation, as his colleagues
know that he has a vast appreciation for them given how hard he works.

Ludwig’s vacations, in
reality, are trips he takes to Switzerland in order to get rid of the bodies of
those whom he and his partners have murdered. Ludwig uses brute physical force
in his interrogations and has killed people on accident more than anything
else. Nonetheless, if he does intend to kill someone, Ludwig is practical and
will go for the neater option. His creativity had once led him to kill a person
with none other than a bottle opener and a single toothpick.

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Inner Psychology:

The motto Ludwig and his partners run by is: 

What goes around, falls
underground.

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That is, they hold a
pessimistic view of life itself. They have very little faith in people,
including themselves, and therefore see their jobs as getting rid of the worst
of the waste rather than the whole garbage dump. All humans are corrupt to
them, so they have no problem getting rid of lower-scoring humans on the
immorality scale. Their job is simply to stay afloat and to sweep away the
toxicity criminals bring into the world, which sometimes includes an occasional
piece of trash here and there. Switzerland, then, as a hub for criminals, is
the perfect place for them to dump their victims.

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Note: This post will be looking at potential hints of female pairings or same-sex attraction, as requested. For the most part, the nations I will be mentioning have in fact shown attraction to males too. A more complete post on the nations’ sexuality will eventually be made, though. The examples shown are not all of them either. There are plenty of them, believe me.

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Okay, let’s get it out of the way right now: Monaco and Taiwan
are hitting up the charts with their heavily hinted – but not confirmed – attraction
to girls. It makes me incredibly happy to see this possible representation in the
comics, and I’m even more excited to share it with you all.

First, there’s the 2011 Christmas event. There, Taiwan
states that she is unable to concentrate due to the amount of cleavage the Western
female nations are showing. Monaco then reassures her and sweetly waves it off.
Taken alone, this may not seem significant, but you certainly see progress with
Taiwan as you flip forward into later strips.

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Now, let’s go over some panels included in the Halloween
2013/2014 event. After spotting Belarus from afar, Taiwan literally exclaims “Gorgeous
lady at 12:00 o’ clock!” and then proceeds to complement Belarus with notable
excitement.

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And then comes Ukraine.

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I mean, there’s really not that much to say. You can see it
for yourselves: there’s a clear blush on Taiwan’s face and she looks just a little
bit too happy to see Ukraine’s (breasts), don’t you think?

Don’t believe me still? Here’s Taiwan blushing, complementing Vietnam,
and just looking plain elated to be surrounded by them. She doesn’t seem to be
so shy about these feelings anymore.

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There also appears to be this scheme where Taiwan purposefully
made Vietnam’s costume smaller and tighter than what it should be, as the costume
is her size as opposed to Vietnam’s – Taiwan is significantly smaller than Vietnam.

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Lastly, there’s Monaco, who comments that Ukraine looks “modestly
sexy.” Again, when taken on its own, it doesn’t seem like much.

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However, when asked if she would wear a revealing costume,
Monaco says that she’s better at being an onlooker and is then compared to an
old man by Taiwan. I don’t know, I read this as Monaco embodying something akin
to a male gaze…an appreciative male gaze. There’s also the stereotype that old
men are more perverted; obviously this isn’t the case, but it’s a pretty common
gag.

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Take what you want from what I just presented, but I personally
believe there is enough evidence in the strips that at the very least hint at the
existence of same-sex attraction among the female nations.

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Any juicy or angsty RusAme hints in the comic that I can use? I just joined the fandom, and would like to be as accurate as possible. Thank you!

If you’re asking about hints, that requires a lot more time and thought. However, there are some similarities between them that I can briefly go over. In my opinion, it makes for excellent shipping material.

For starters, they’re both incredibly insecure individuals. They want to make friends but have trouble doing so, and don’t always recognize that what they’re doing is wrong. 

Ex: America being nosy and poking into everyone’s business, and Russia’s cruel treatment of other nations under his rule.

Personally, what I would use as a good focal point for conflict is the fact that they both think everyone hates them:

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