Q & A

Another relationship I’m pretty confused on is
FrUK. Not nearly as much as RusAme tho.When Himaruya writes these two its more
like the ho yay between them is a joke and twice Himaruya has shot down the
idea of either of them liking each other like that.France got freaked out over
a fan pretending to be England in love with him. England got freaked out over
the idea of France being in love with him. Of course you can ship as you please
but I’m just so bewildered as to why you think they could happen.

The idea of it + my
understanding didn’t just emerge in a vacuum. There is evidence suggesting a
possibility of romance for them, even if the series does give off mixed
messages.

For example: the second
instance you mention (I think it’s the World Stars Chapter you’re referring to)
shows England getting defensive about reciprocating his perception that France may have feelings for him.

“It’s not…it’s not
like I like you all or anything!” (he’s referring both to the French people and France).

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 317.

There’s also the running
gag where France laments about how England would be cute if he didn’t talk so
much.

Sources: Hetarchive, England Caught a Cold! + Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, Feb 2nd, 2015).

Another example would be
the Dream United Kingdom strip, which I covered already. Please look at my post directory before sending in asks.

Even though England
vehemently opposes the idea of being married to France, he cites that he doesn’t
want to marry him because of the economic desperation generated by the Suez
Canal Crisis.

“I don’t want to get
married for this lame reason,” is a rejection, sure, but it’s odd how it’s not
an outright rejection. It leaves open the possibility that he would be open to
marrying France for a better reason…whatever that is.

Source: Hetarchive, Dream United Kingdom.

My posts on the matter:
[x] [x].

Do you really think so positively of a
relationship like…RusAme?Its been stared time and time again that they don’t
like one another,have an extremely tense relationship and the real life
relationship between these two countries is very volatile and just as full of
hate.Russia has even fantasized about destroying something as simple as
America’s glasses.Sure Hetalia has messages of getting along and stuff but
these two just barely tolerate each other at best.

I’m pretty sure this is
the same anon from above.

If anything, I’m a bit bewildered
as to why you claim that I view RusAme so positively? I haven’t said anything
of the such nor have I only illustrated this side of their relationship. It
would be unfair and inaccurate to claim that I have.

On the other hand, what
I have done is prove that their relationship isn’t only hate—that they can
and do get along. In the Shipping Series post I made of them, I claim upfront
that there are no romantic hints of them and instead explain that the parallels
I draw between them can be used as tools for those who ship them to use in
their characterizations.

Both posts can be found
in my post directory [x] [x].

Here’s a quote from
the opening paragraph if you want to verify.

“Below will be a list of parallels between America and Russia that I think would benefit any RusAme writer should they wish to incorporate them into their works. While in canon there is minimal romantic substantiation, this post merely aims to provide writers with tools that highlight the similar chemistries and complexes that America and Russia both experience. In no way is this forcing the ship onto anyone either.“

Lastly, as mentioned
above, while Russia and America get on each other’s nerves—as I have already acknowledged
in a post documenting their rivalry—

there are also many instances where they
get along.

Ex: They’re spotted happily drinking together.

Source: Hetarchive, April Fools’ 2011.

Ex: Russia has visited America
at his home.

Source: Hetascanlatons, World Stars Chapter 157.

Ex: There’s that café scene
in World Stars, which while highlighting how they still grind each other’s
gears, the underlying message is that they nonetheless get along in the end.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 53.

I’ll be transparent in
admitting that it’s a pet peeve of mine when people only focus on the glasses
remark Russia makes in that scene while ultimately ignoring how said scene is
wrapped up. It’s cherry-picking.

Not sure if you’ve been asked this before, but
in your opinion what would you say the sexualities of the Hetalia characters
are?

If you’re unsure if I’ve
covered something, you can always check my post directory. I have done a post
on ‘sexualities’, but I use that term for a lack of a better word. I also don’t
believe in assigning labels when they haven’t been given, as I believe that the
characters are open for interpretation, and instead show how some nations are canonically
LGBTQ +.

Post [x].

What’s the context
for France getting shot???

He tries to strip Switzerland.

Source: Hetarchive, Christmas 2007 Event.

How do different nations
deal with loss? (A friend dying, e.t.c..)

This post should help a
bit [x].

You also have Greece,
who copes with his mother’s loss by visiting her ruins and holding onto her relics, and Romano, who can’t
be visited by Rome without bursting out into tears of happiness.

Sources: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 99 & 100 Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans. April 5th 2011).

Q & A

hi! I am brand new
to the fandom (weird for 2018, I know haha) but I would like to start off by
saying thank you for what you do! Anyways, my question was, so I see a lot of
fan art for different ships and whatnot. I have only watched the anime not read
the comic yet (but I plan to!) and I was wondering if there are actually any
ships that are/were canon and if there’s not any, what are the most popular
fanon ones? I am trying to be wary of ship wars haha.

Not weird at all. People still join all the time! No need to thank
me, but you’re welcome 😀

No ships are canon, other than Chibitalia x Holy Rome. Even Aushun,
who were married, are not outright confirmed to have romantic feelings for each
other. There are a lot of hints, though. If you’d like to explore ships on this
blog, plug in the tag “Shipping Series.”

Some pairings where there are canon hints of romance are
FrUk, AusHun, SpaAus, SpaIta and Spamano. I use comic material and provide sources for
you to look at, so I’m not just pulling it out of nowhere lol.

kind of new to the fandom haha but I have heard
it has quite a few ‘gay undertones’, but I was wondering there is actually any
characters confirmed to be LGBTQ+?

Oh! Another new member! Welcome!

Hetalia is very gay.

Here are some posts to
corroborate that: [x] [x] [x] [x].

I know you’ve already lengthy talked about it,
but could you please make some clarifications about ‘nyotalia’? I still see
many people in the fandom being confused about the concept(i.e.
misunderstanding them as genderbents, considering heta/nyo verses of the
original ‘couples’, for example spanyo!mano being spamano het verse). Sorry to
bother

You’re not bothering me.
It’s just, there’s nothing more to really talk about. Like you’ve said, I’ve
already covered those misconceptions. It would be redundant to make another
post.

However, I would be more
than happy to link the post again for you [x].

So what is your opinion on the *whispers* movie
??

*googles synonym for
clusterfuck*

I mean the re-used
material thing is nothing new to Hetalia. Himaruya is notorious for re-using,
re-drawing, and re-printing old material.

Do think that Estonia wants to join the Nordics
because they give a sense of community that he just doesn’t get with the
Baltics. I mean the Nordics are this really close bunch and the Baltics are
just there.

No. It’s just a reference to
how Estonia is being increasingly grouped with the Nordics in the present
political sphere. There’s an increasing sentiment that looks at the similarities
between Finnish and Estonian language and culture.

Sources: Hetarchive, Volume 6, the Meeting of the Nordics & Volume 6, The Nordic Five.

This guide will give a concise rundown of how the nations experience
and participate in wars.

Status:

They’re no different than any other citizen fighting for
their country. In other words, they aren’t given any special treatment.

Ex: There’s a comic gag regarding how terrible it was to be
a Russian soldier.

So much so, that Russia becomes ecstatic when Germany takes
him as a prisoner of war.

Sources: Volume 1.

Ex: During WW2, Germany is said to tolerate his way through
pain every day.

Source: Hetarchive, Hetare 5: Lietuvis.

When captured as a prisoner of war himself, he states that
torture is no more than a mosquito bite to him.

Source: Volume 1.

Regarding food, they’re not allocated extra supplies. If
their population is starving, so are they.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 120.

They’re given rations just like any other soldier.

Source: Volume 5, Let’s Eat Military Rations!

They fight with their people rather than being fought for.

Source: Volume 4, The Ruler of Scandinavia and the King of Eastern Europe.

Post locations:

Nations can serve on the ground, the navy, and
the air.

Sources: Volume 3, A Battlefield’s Kickoff + Hetarchive, Hetare 3: Nonagression pact + Hetarchive, Germany & Cohabitation.

Missions:

They get missions from their bosses.

Ex: Germany is tasked with annexing Austria.

Source: Hetarchive, The Austrian Anschluss.

Ex: Germany and Prussia are asked to infiltrate America’s war
camp.

Me: *tries to have a normal day*

Anxiety:

Isn’t there a scene where Italy compliments Germany’s butt?

If this is the scene you’re talking about, he insults it in the manga.

Source: Volume 1.

Do you think you could make a guide about how the nations experience war? I’m always confused as to what they do and what their rank is.

Yes, no problem 🙂

Guide with sources coming up tonight!

There’s a tendency for people to wave off Russia as a flat
character due to the fact that his ‘craziness’ (for lack of a better word) is
poorly written. This trait dominates the fandom’s perception of him and erases
the larger picture of the reason behind why he acts the way that he does. No, it’s
not a stereotype for Russian people to be emotionally unpredictable and cruel, which
is a big reason why his characterization is often contested. However, Russia’s
mental state was never meant to represent a stereotype. It’s instead a tool
that Himaruya uses to demonstrate the impact that Russia’s volatile and chaotic
history had on him.

For example, Russia is described as a simple bumpkin type.
While this is supposed to be in reference to his impoverished lifestyle, this
is often misattributed to his personality.

Note: Russia isn’t treated as an
elite in his nation and is instead treated like an average citizen, not reaping
any of the benefits that the selfish oligarchs in power did.

Source: Volume 2.

Ex: Russia was
tasked with building a waterway with his people during the Stalinization period…without food and adequate clothing. Notice
the contrast with the person ordering him around, who has food and warm
clothing.

Cruel, isn’t it?

Source: Hetarchive, To Your Heart’s Content, Russia!

That said, I’ve covered and contextualized the reasons for Russia’s
“warped sense of reality” in another post [x]. What I specifically want to focus on
here is how World Stars goes the extra mile in developing his character. Yes,
there were a good amount of strips prior that shed considerable insight into Russia’s
mind; however, World Stars really fleshes out these earlier strips.

Let’s go over them.

Economic and Cultural
Revolutions:

We see Russia go through several personal and national developments.

With Peter the Great and his Westernizing reforms, Russia
gains cultural capital and begins mingling with French nobility. He’s tasked
with studying France’s culture. I’ll get into this in more detail soon but
notice how Russia mentions that he’s unable to go home until he gains this
information on France.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 295,298, & 299.

During the industrial revolution, he begins as a poor nation
without any attractive resources. This all changes when he discovers oil and
finally begins to catch up to other industrialized nations.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 61.

Political Turmoils
and Inconsistency:

Russia is notorious for its dark and bloody history.

Think about how disorienting and traumatizing it would have
been for Russia to experience one chaotic shift in government to another.

World Stars effectively demonstrates the rapidity of these
transitions.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 61.

Helplessness + Its
Impacts:

Since personifications are obligated to obey their Heads of
State, they’re inevitably put in a complicated position of inferiority and
subjugation.

Russia’s bosses are the most brutal example of this. The
control they have over them is extensive and abusive, both physically and verbally.

Ex: Russia’s threatened into building a steam engine. Notice
again how he dissociates the moment that he’s threatened. It’s an indication of
trauma.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 61.

Ex: He cryptically comments about vote counts in his
elections, alluding to the fact that they’re fraudulent but also how he can’t
do anything about it.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 157.

Ex: He needs to be granted permission to visit other
nations.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 143.

Isolation and loneliness:

Lastly, we learn that Russia suffers from chronic
loneliness.

In his childhood, a good New Year’s for him was not freezing
to death. Cut to the present, and, while not nearly as traumatic, he’s still
alone. Obviously, this is the result of the abuse he inflicted on the ex-Soviet
nations he invites over to his house. They’re understandably not keen to
see him.

If anything, this just further elaborates on the idea that the trauma he
experienced has prevented him from maintaining healthy relationships with
others. He’s remained forever as a child because of it and is unaware of the
harm and cruelty he inflicts onto those around him.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 235 & 236.

There’s also this chapter, which highlights how Russia would
rather be around shouting nations [during a meeting] than being alone. The unpredictability
and violence of his nation’s history are reflected in his dark comment about
silencing the shouts “as lawfully” as possible should they get too loud.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 49.

With all that in mind, this post doesn’t seek to defend Russia,
nor does it remove him from the cruelty of his actions. Instead, what I hoped to do was prove that his character extends beyond the crazy stereotype. It’s filled with a much deeper meaning than what is conventionally understood.

When you realize that exams are in a month

what’s the creepiest thing about Russia to you?

I don’t think there’s anything in particular that stands out to me. It’s more of a scene that comes to mind.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Oct 24th, 2014).

ellawritesficssometimes:

People often find it perplexing that America can’t see ghosts
or magical creatures, and assert that this is done for seemingly no reason. It’s
quite the contrary. There’s an underlying rule in the manga that’s been used
and consistently drawn on:

That is, whether it’s ghosts, aliens, or magical creatures,
the nation’s ability to see/ believe in them depends on if their citizens
strongly believe in them. In other words, superstitions of the supernatural and
unknown need to be part of the nation’s popular belief system if the respective
personification is also able to believe in them.

I say believe mostly
because as you’ll see soon, sometimes a nation will see an unknown being, and
yet not recognize or acknowledge its existence. For the most part,
however, the nation simply won’t be able to see the being.

The reason listed that explains why America can’t see and
believe in ghosts is because 23% of his people either believe in their
existence or have had an encounter with them. Again, this ability is predicated
around citizen belief.

I can’t attest for the exact figures of this statistic. Point is, this is what Hima cited, and it is thus included into the reasoning
behind America’s skepticism of the supernatural. Of course, this rule doesn’t
mean that these beings don’t exist. It just affects whether the nation will be
able to see them.

Notably, this approximate statistic has since changed. [I’ll
get back to this in a moment.]

Likewise, because Americans strongly believe in the existence
of UFOs, America can see and interact with Tony.

Meanwhile, although England can see Tony, since his people
don’t believe in extra-terrestrial life as strongly, he’s skeptical of the
alien and doesn’t truly believe in it. [x]

Quickly, it’s important to go over some supernatural ground
rules specifically pertaining to America.

On Halloween, the one day of the year where Americans
temporarily, albeit strongly, believe in the existence of the supernatural,
America’s able to see ghosts and other unknown creatures.

England is noted to be able to make anyone who visits his
country see ghosts/spirits; America is the only exception to
this rule. [x]

When accused of seeing illusions by America, England claims that
America can’t see the unicorn because he’s too impure.

Funny, considering that England gives America a
unicorn to celebrate his bicentennial despite knowing full well that the latter can’t see it….yet.

What I’m about to present indicates a considerable shift
in America’s “ghost and monster culture”, whereby it’s strongly hinted that he’ll
soon be able to see ghosts, spirits, and any other magical creatures rather than
just aliens.

Please note that ghost and monster culture are terms that
Hima’s coined in describing a nation’s folklore and superstitional culture.

It’s not like this shift is impossible either. We’ve already
seen with Japan how he’s able to forget and subsequently re-remember the existence of
youkai spirits as a result of his own people forgetting about and later
believing in them again.

For example, in the Meiji era, Japan lost his ability to see
them with respect to his people forgetting about their existence. On the other
hand, because England’s monster culture remained prevalent, he was able to see the spirits (i.e the Tengu and Kappa).

However, later in WW2, when Japan and Italy are taking a
bath in a hot spring, we learn that Japan’s regained his ability to see his
nation’s magical creatures.

The same thing happens with America.

While he initially can’t see and doesn’t believe in ghosts,
he’s still terrified of them.

The fact that he doesn’t believe in them becomes woefully
obvious when a ghost literally taps America on the shoulder and introduces
himself. America doesn’t notice the ghost and instead seems to attribute the poke
on the shoulder to the false feeling of being touched or watched given that he’s
watching a horror movie while this all happens.

It’s only until World Stars where we begin to see a possible
shift in America’s ghost culture.

America visits England in Chapter 290. What I want to place
particular emphasis on is that America admits to his increasing interest in
fantasy movies. If we follow the rule from above, this would mean that his citizens
have taken up an interest in the genre/ supernatural belief, and this interest
is thus reflected in America’s own interests. Movies genres are a reflection of popular culture, after all.

This scene in particular substantiates this claim.

The two take a tour of a haunted citadel. America mistakes ghosts
for current staff members. [They had worked there when they were alive.]

He takes a picture of the ghosts, only to realize that they
don’t show up in the photo. More importantly is the fact that America was actually able
to see the ghosts.

Even if America wasn’t able to make the connection and
realize what they were, it would seem that his newfound interest in fantasy means
that his ghost and monster culture are shifting.

If that’s the case, then we could very well see an America
that’s able to see supernatural creatures in future strips.