ENGLAND: You’re still hung up
on those rubbish conspiracy theories, aren’t you?
AMERICA: Duh, they’re
interesting! There’s so much about the world that science can’t explain.
ENGLAND: Like us and why we exist?
AMERICA: Like…us…?
ENGLAND: I regret ever saying
anything.
AMERICA:
↑
Misconception:
She’s a ‘Plain Jane.’
Reality: Her
awareness that she’s ‘plain’ and doesn’t stand out in comparison to surrounding
countries is what adds more layers to her character [x].
Ex: She tries her
best to stand out.
Ex: If anything,
her and Luxembourg realizing how powerless they were 100 years ago makes her personality
more complex. It’s revealed that she was constantly at the mercy of other
nations. Any character that’s vulnerable and has weaknesses, flaws, and
insecurities are far from plain [x].
Misconception:
She’s weak
Reality: She’s endured a lot. Resilience is what makes her strong.
Ex: There was a
period where her and her older brother, Netherlands, had a rocky period in
their relationship.
Netherlands attempted to unite their kingdoms into one, but
she declared her independence instead. This incident is described as a fight by Netherlands’ bunny [x].
Ex: Her
personality isn’t only a stock sweet-type. She’s also noted to have quite the
temper; she becomes scary when she’s angry.
Misconception: She’s fake and ingenuine
Reality: She’s incredibly sweet and supportive.
Ex: When Spain buys new clothes for a young Romano at the cost
of wearing rags, Belgium pleads for him to get new clothes too.
Ex: She cheers on Romano as he attempts to lift up Spain [x].
Ex: Because they’re so familiar with each other and regardless
of the fact that she’s a girl, Romano gets nervous and will swear in front of
her [x]. He used to have a crush on her, after all.
Ex: She gets to share rare moments with Netherlands where he
reveals his softer side [x].
Bonus Facts:
Her smile is sometimes cat-like, a probable reference to the
annual Cat Festival held in Ypres.
Given that Hima bases a lot of the physical traits of the
nations on population statistics, Belgium has large breasts [x].
She’s very serious about her waffles and will make a sour
face if she eats a foreign recreation of the treat.
All in all, even though Belgium doesn’t appear very often in
the manga, she still has a unique and distinct personality. Yes, she’s long due
for further character development, but she’s
not plain.
Me: I’m here for you if you need me.
Friend: Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind!
Friend: You don’t look so good. Do you want to talk about it?
Also me: :))))
It says that on the
wikipage, but if you go to the direct source, it’s different. The translation is noted to be rough, but the distinction is nonetheless made very clear [x].
Netherlands and Belgium are the ones that are
siblings.
Luxembourg refers to
France, Spain, Netherlands, and Belgium as big brother and sister respectively
as terms of endearment.
This is a common trope in
the series, although it often causes a lot of confusion because it’s taken
literally.
It doesn’t help that the
trio was once referred to as sworn siblings. [x]
Although, if you go on
the above piece of information, it seems to be conveying a bond similar to siblings. It’s not uncommon
for close friends to consider themselves siblings – in this case, it would be
Luxembourg due to his close proximity.
Just to give more
examples of this trope, France is referred to as a big brother type/ big
brother of the world.
Hungary is referred to
as an older sister.
And so is Belgium.
I’m working on a larger
post that will go into more detail about the brother/sister figures and relations,
but it’s going to take some time.
May I pick the lovely Belgium?
She’s pretty great if you ask me and totally not plain, contrary to what she and fanon claim.
Mischaracterization post on Belgium coming up tonight!
Of course,
being immortal affects how the nations experience time. They’ve lived for
centuries/ millennia and experience time at a much faster pace. A year, let
alone a decade, for a human is nothing to them.
Ex: Canada once
spent an entire weekend in a trance, staring into Kumajiro’s eyelashes. [x]
Ex: Because time flows differently for him, by the time America visits his child/ later teen friend Davie again, the latter’s had both children and grandchildren [x].
Interestingly,
the nation’s immortality can also rub off on other beings.
Ex: Pets like
Hanatamago, Pochi, or the Gilbird’s have extended lifespans as a result of
being around their owner nations. Should they separate, they would become
normal pets again. [x]
Ex: The
situation with humans is similar, but not quite the same. Unlike pets, humans
have a stronger developmental capacity to perceive time. It’s likely for this
reason that being around a nation for too long would cause them to go mad. The
drastic warping of time would be too much to handle.
From what we’ve
seen in the strips, immortality is depicted to be more of a curse than it is a
blessing. There are several instances where nations have expressed regret over
their existence.
Ex: Germania
and Rome, as fallen ex-nations, experience relief over not having to deal with
wars and their leaders.
Ex: As an
Ancient in his own right, China romanticizes about the past, wishing that the
world was the same as it was 4000 years ago.
Ex: Italy
admits that he sometimes gets bored of seeing the same people every day [x]. Also
notice how his boss recognizes that immortality isn’t beneficial in practice,
as Italy’s had to endure countless painful memories and experiences.
Ex: The nations
have gaps in their memories [x].
While it would
be impossible for them to remember everything, as they’re not perfect immortals
and can get injured and die, the fact that Russia claims that it’s good that
they don’t remember all the bad in their life may allude to an unconscious repression
of memories.
Still using
Russia as an example, given how he’s historically been tortured and punished by
his bosses, it’s easy to understand why he wouldn’t want to remember everything.
He likes all delicious food [x] and thinks that homemade cooking is the best.
He has no problem eating other foods like sushi or burgers, even in his own country when Germany visits him.
It’s not that he’s cocky either. He gets smug when he’s good at something, but low-spirited and dejected if he’s not.
Just for further reference, I’d like to point out that’s he still considerably insecure in recent strips.
The nations’ bodies can physically die, but they regenerate. I’ve done a post about that here [x]. Given this logic, I’m sure they’d die if they ingested poison; however, this hasn’t been shown in canon.
As for the rest of the asks, I can go over how the nations deal with and perceive time tonight! It’s not a theory, though. The answers are explicitly given.
Ellawritesficssometimes 