#hetalia analysis

[faunabel]

ita thoughts as usual... i've had this concept sitting in my drafts for a while

so... very early on in canon, i can't find the manga panel, but in the anime sub, italy says "i've always been ruled by another country, so i've always dreamed of having a friend."

then in the hetalia collezione that came out a few years ago...

italy is stated to view germany as his first friend.

so just. first of all. holy shit. this guy has been around at least 1500 years and GERMANY. WHO HE MET IN THE 1900S, IS THE FIRST PERSON HE HIMSELF CONSIDERS TO BE HIS FIRST FRIEND? the first person who doesn't treat him like an object to claim ownership over (how i'm interpreting things, anyway). can we talk about this. can we talk about how lonely he must have been all those years. can we talk about the fact that as many people as he knew, he never considered any of them to be a friend to him? can we talk about the fact that maybe he's so friendly because he was so lonely for so long...

[smoothie03]

Sneakpeak for my next big animatic

[franciskirkland]

I had to ramble because Antonio is indeed a hard character to write. He's both awful and amazing

PLEASE RAMBLE are u kidding me. rambling is never not welcome this is rambling central. i am nothing if not the village idiot here to rant and rave, if anything u should apologize for enabling me xx <3

this little fucker needs to be trapped in a jar and studied under a microscope... i need to Understand him... he compells me against my own will... he's like a bull who's been castrated.

as a nation-being-person, he's oddly youthful even in comparison to younger nations. he's old as dirt, older than france actually, and still not as mature which is not setting the bar high. he's passive-aggressive and vengeful, but also extremely influential in a positive way? like western society without spanish culture would be so dull.

he's someone who was once immensely powerful but rly isn't anymore and has become, for lack of better words, irrelevant? never to me, but i have literally met grown adults who did not know spain was a country (let alone portugal) i wish i was kidding rn. as a History Enjoyer i can't ignore the fact that spain has a dark past, responsible for everything from colonial imperialism in the 15th century onwards, to brutal fascist reign throughout the 20th century. like tbh, he was once on par with england for being the Worst re: colonization, genocide, exploitation etc. in my honest opinion - while france as an imperial power did some awful shit particularly in africa - england, spain, portugal and the netherlands are by far the worst.

buuut with that all being said. i mostly write human au and i do tend to keep irl tragedies at a distance, while their personalities are still influenced by historical events, at some level ig.

as a human, he's just as complex. he's a fuckboy. he's a himbo. he's a loser (affectionate) and sometimes a loser (derogatory). he's Catholic and debilitatingly homosexual. he's passionate. he is... devastatingly sexy. he is kinda wifey, ngl. he's also kinda socially incompetent but gets away with it bc of his looks. perfect smile... sexy accent... fat ass... grrr i am squeezing him like a stress ball... i have written him as everything from a total manipulative creep to a bumbling fool who just wants his papi. like look at him... if he told me he was just a caked up white boy who never did anything wrong i would believe him... and im italian so he would bear my children.

you can pry my canon divergent spamano from my cold dead hands. pelt me with rotten tomatoes in the town square i dont care.

the bottom line is, spain has no business being this cute, but some way, somehow, he is, so imma go with it ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[anartificialsatellite]

Was thinking about the layers that the universal nation language thing adds again. I know a lot of people have already talked about their feelings about this aspect of Hetalia, but I'm gonna go ahead and talk about it again because I want to.

Tbh, the more I think about it the more I love it for a bunch of reasons, but I was specific thinking recently about it in the context of USJP (because I have the brainrot) and HNNNGg

Having that universal language allows you to put meaning behind certain choices made within your own fan works or in the way you interpret canon? And my absolute favorite example of this applied is with America and Japan at the end of Japan's isolation.

Here's the thing: The universal language is canon. It's also canon that, when the Black Ships came, Japan had a translator between them when he spoke to America for the first time.

What a move!!!

Now, look, I know this scene is generally just played for laughs with miscommunications presenting America as a pervert and all, but it would not be a Hetalia post if I didn't insert way too much meaning into a couple of panels from a gag manga, SO -

This man shows up at Japan's door with coal-powered warships to force him out of two hundred years of isolation, and they both know they can understand one another.

But Japan insists on a translator anyway. And America agrees. Why?

For Japan, it reflects his wariness to even consider the terms being offered, but it is also a test of America (and his government's) intentions. They say they want mutually beneficial trade agreements (of course while asking for preferential terms, as would lkely be expected for such a negotiation) but Japan knows he and his government are sitting at a considerable disadvantage. It's important to know how much of this proposed cooperation is being extended in good faith.

So he sets a condition to their meeting that they both know is unnecessary from a practical standpoint.

If America intends to negotiate, their representative will accept this condition as a show of good faith. If they don't, and he refuses, that shows Japan where they really view themselves in this negotiation and how much he and his government can trust them.

Now, if you'll indulge me reaching even farther into speculation about the way the canon universe functions... It's made pretty clear at various points I'm canon that the amount of influence a nation has on their government and the respect their bosses hold for them varies a lot between nations and over time.

So! With that in mind, the authority with which America acts in their personal discussions/negotiations will also tell Japan whether he is truly considered to be representative of his country or if he is merely a figurative representation positioned in servitude to his bosses and trotted out as a matter of formality and show.

America's reaction to the condition of speaking through a translator, which again, they both know is completely unnecessary, can give Japan (who will need to bring this back to his bosses) vital information to help him decide whether he is truly approaching the possibility of real negotiations with a fellow nation and his government, or if this is simply establishing a pretext for the invasion that is already coming.

how is that not cool as fuck

One of the things I love about this canon is that it is, for the most part, dumb jokes about a bunch of idiots, but there's so much to play with and run away with and I don't think we always appreciate what fertile ground we really have here.

[faunabella]

considering how many times vene is held against his will, tied up, or unable to see throughout canon (especially held against his will, like jesus this poor guy has so many panels where he's held onto and people won't let go of him, especially as a child), i feel like something like bondage would actually kind of scare him at first? being on the receiving end of it. someone having him restrained where they can do whatever they want to him.

but i also think it could be a good healing sort of thing for him, to learn to associate being held against his will with pleasure and care, instead of discomfort and disrespect of his boundaries.

i picture a scene where he explores this with a partner, and being tied up is pretty uncomfortable for him at first, like i picture him just being nervous and antsy that he's restrained, but his partner is gentle and helps coax him into relaxing, and he feels safe and learns to enjoy it.

[royaltea000]

God I love how ya draw my gal best girl liech she looks so amazing and wonderful thank u and im sorry it took this long to compliment ya for it

(and she doesnt have a canon name but i like elise vogel the most out of the ones hima offered and that make sense)

Oh my gosh thank you so much!! Sorry it took a while to upload cuz I just straight up BURIED her under so many wips 😭 she’s free now 🕊️ and yeah I think Elise Vogel is a good name - it may be fairly new I think? I remember in the old days everyone mostly called her Lilli Zwingli or some variation of that but it makes sense that she would have a different name as they’re not directly related

[estbela]

GOING INSANE tongues and teeth is such a robul song from Romania's point of view and in general is a really Ro (and Nyo Ro) coded song

[nat-of-personifs]

generally you will never hold a conversation with all the members of a community that has an embodiment. personification power lies in the greater trust one person has for a stranger who belongs to the same group as them than the stranger who doesn’t, euphoric solidarity from ‘I like your shoelaces—thanks, I stole them from the president’; we have something in common. if everybody knows each other, the social web is complete, end to end, and they don’t need something more to keep it intact.

personifications aren’t meant to be fully understood. for their avatars to materialize, the city must grow too large for everyone to be neighbors, or the fandom must reach Stage 2 of their life cycle. it’s not their healing or their longevity or their connection to their true bodies that makes them eldritch—it’s the fact that as soon as one person knows everything about them, they lose their reason to live.

the tendency of humans in cities to accumulate knowledge and overspecialize and create ever more complicated rituals, mythologies, and technologies is simply the survival instinct of the larger organism they’re a part of.

[enyoalkis]

25-ага сакавіка, жыве Беларусь! 

25 March, long live Belarus! 🤍❤️🤍

For a country I’ve long been fascinated with since discovering Hetalia and hoping one day, Belarusians achieve true democracy and freedom.

Freedom Day - An unofficial holiday in Belarus celebrated every March 25 to commemorate the declaration of independence by the Belarusian Democratic Republic in 1918. Although the current government regime has banned this holiday, many Belarusians in the country and abroad calling for democracy in their motherland celebrate by waving the white-red-white flag of the BNR and displaying its historical coat of arms, the Pahonia.

The Pahonia (Паго́ня) is similar to the Republic of Lithuania’s coat of arms, the Vytis, and both originate from their historical ties to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. From the 13th century until the Partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the end of the 18th century, all modern-day territories of Belarus were part of the GDL. A popular patriotic song called “Pahonia” is commonly sung by Belarusians against the current regime.

Following Belarus’ independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, both the WRW flag and the Pahonia were official flag and coat of arms of the Republic of Belarus from 1991-1995 until they were abolished in the controversial 1995 Belarusian referendum by dictator Alexander Lukashenko and his supporters. The flag and coat of arms were replaced into a flag and emblem similar to the ones used during the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. For years, most notably in 2020 and 2021, many Belarusians have taken to the streets to mass protest against the Lukashenko regime with white-red-white flags and the Pahonia. Sadly, many brutal human rights abuses and arrests have occurred and still are to this day.

[shroomyart404]

Would love to talk about the change in reasons why Gilbert does what he do. His stance on religion and doing things for greatness/awesomeness which is just basically preparing his legacy for when he eventually dies. How this changes over the course of his life, particularly when Ludwig comes into existence and then is immediately militarised.

[whisperingwisterias]

Hetalia: Axis Powers and Stereotypes

Hetalia: Axis Powers is a well known anime that attempts to explain history in humorous ways using anthropomorphized countries and their relationships with each other. Although it’s quite controversial because of the way it portrays certain countries and toes the line between satire and offense, I think this show also provides a unique perspective on our world that can still be appreciated even if it is not enjoyed.

One of the biggest issues that this show runs into is its use of stereotyping which is often used for humor but can also be interpreted as unfair stigmatization. One of the biggest ways this happens in the show is how Italy is portrayed. In every episode he is shown to be weak, a bit air-headed, a bit stupid, and almost single-mindedly focused on pasta. In the “chibitalia” sections he is often infantilized and treated like he is completely unaware of the world around him. This is showcased particularly in one episode where the Allies attempt various methods to lure Italy to them to capture him, each one of which works easily. Every time they capture him he offers them whatever knowledge they want without hesitation and does not object when they start treating him like a pet. Many other countries also get an unflattering portrayal: Japan’s hobby is said to be reading the room, refraining from speaking, and saying no to everything; austria is portrayed as being uptight, strict, and prone to nag the other countries; England is delusional; France is said to be too flashy and showy and almost as weak as Italy, shown by a montage of France embarrassing themselves in several wars and summed up by the sentence “their killer technique is profiting from the sidelines.”

While definitely mocking and unflattering, I think such portrayals also serve the purpose of seeing how these countries are thought of and seen by the world in general, something I noticed in particular when it came to America’s character. He starts off the show very loud and boisterous, optimistically claiming that all the problems in the world can be solved if they all work together. However he also takes a very clear leadership position, saying that no one is allowed to disagree with him in the meeting. Over the course of the show he is also shown to be very self-centered, insisting that he will be the hero in the war and the other allied countries will only need to back him up. His self-centeredness is also shown when he opens up a map of America and is surprised when he doesn’t find Japan on it, a mockery of how America believes they are at the center of the world. America’s unhealthy consumerism is also shown in the mountain of burgers America is seen to eat and the giant sodas he guzzles down. While all of this is an obvious mockery of America and also obviously not an entirely accurate portrayal of the country, it is an enlightening look at how other countries see and define America.

Overall, while this show has its issues, it’s a very intriguing concept that, while mocking, also challenges our own definition and view of other countries in a way that hopefully inspires its audience to lessen its uninformed stereotyping of other nations.

[franciskirkland]

i saw you say that you’re take on spamano diverts from canon and honestly i’d love to know more about it, i feel like most spamano shippers do this and i love hearing all takes because i feel like they’re all interesting! and i love them so so much!! do you have any hc’s that you think are unpopular with the fandom?? or do you like they way spamano is represented for the most part??

Hi! Thanks so much for the ask 💕 If you're the same anon who sent the last one I'm working on it. To answer honestly, I don't interact with Spamano fanwork enough to know what is and isn't popular or accepted as fanon these days.

But I'll hesitantly say that no, I think my views on this ship differ from that of the fandom status quo, as they usually do. I don't say this for the sake of being edgy or a need to always play contrarian, but bc I have a unique perspective.

Disclaimer; long post ahead. my opinion was asked for and you're about to receive it. Everything stated is opinion and I'm not discrediting alternate headcanons.

So I'll start by saying I'm not an expert on Spain's history or characterization. I have mentioned this before but the way Himaruya chose to portray him is a bit odd to me. Then again, Hetalia nations aren't really direct representations of their government, but instead stereotypes of their people. If everyone was accurate they'd all be unsympathetic assholes.

Spain as an empire was once a ruthless colonial force, and as a nation in more recent centuries they have a history of fascist rule, violent uprising and general civil discord.

Spain as a character is a sunny, bubbly himbo after he lost his reputation as a global power. I think he has a tendency to downplay the harm he's caused in the past and manipulate others into viewing him as a shiny happy goofy airhead.

Don't get me wrong, I think Antonio is adorable. He's cute, right? Dude's main personality trait is having a GREAT ASS 🍑 and liking tomates 🍅 He loves to cook and dance and do fuck all. The Hetalia wiki describes him as a, quote, 'cheerful country bumpkin' and honestly, let's go with that for the sake of his personhood?

This is why I like human AU. I enjoy reading historical Hetalia, but writing it isn't for me. As a creative, I don't want to operate within the limits of real world events and not gonna lie I prefer writing them as people!! And that's where I exercise some divergence from canon.

So obviously there's the dynamic of boss and his underling that existed when Romano was young. We can't entirely ignore that that arc exists and is part of his character development, but when Romano grows up I don't see them that way, and there's no denying their romantic potential.

I hear, and understand the common criticisms of Spamano. I don't view them as related, and Romano is not Spain's territory anymore. To me it's fair game. Hetalia is complicated bc well... these nation-beings are hundreds of years old, therefore the case for morality in shipping isn't black and white.

Personally I don't believe any ship is 'too problematic' to exist. I'm of the opinion that we can explore just about any dynamic in fiction as long as we do it mindfully. I'm a multishipper, these characters are all so versatile.

This might sound silly to say about an anime character but my analysis of Romano's personality is more in depth. As someone of Italian descent I recognize his stereotypical traits; and feel pretty strongly about his mischaracterization.

For one, he has a small dog Napoleon complex and that's a big thing for Italian guys (more on that later)

In canon (i.e. world history and Hetalia itself) when Romano was young, Spain did spend a lot of money protecting and defending him. Now as an adult he feels guilty, like he has an obligation to him, and he doesn't want to be seen as weak, reliant or incapable ever again. I don't think he'd allow himself to be dominated, in any way, or even want to be.

Here's an unpopular opinion; he is very masculine, but I think people have a hard time comprehending what constitutes masculinity.

And I'm not saying Antonio is therefore feminine. They're both cis men to me, and switch in the bedroom, but I will admit I prefer Lovino as the generally more dominant partner - in a physical and hierarchical sense.

Ultimately I don't think they box themselves into heteronormative roles all too much. Maybe for funsies, because Lovino likes feeling needed and Antonio to me doesn't have the discipline it takes to wear the proverbial pants in the relationship.

In a comic strip, Spain proposed to Romano when same-sex marriage became legal, and he basically said yes as long as you cook for me?? They're husbands!! It's canon 😎

It's a bit hard to explain, but in my perspective, Lovino would protect and cherish Antonio like a man would his 'wife'. He's his Carino. His Tesoro. His Amorino. Toni might be taller than him, but he's always talking to him like a child - mostly affectionately, but we've seen otherwise.

One of my favourite Romano lines is from the April Fools episode, "No talking to me when you look stupid", that to me is a defining moment of their relationship 💖💖💖

So anyway, this attitude of his brings me to the topic of Maschismo. If you're not familiar with that term, it's a performative, arrogant, and fragile brand of toxic masculinity that's prevalent in men of Mediterranean and Latin American descent. Any man can be machismo but the term is associated with these cultures.

(Again I'm of Mediterranean descent, I have lived experience with this, please don't think I'm racist and if that's legitimately your takeaway you have the reading comprehension of a sea cucumber)

In machismo society, men are discouraged from showing any emotion except anger. They're expected to be strong, and are extremely affected by any implication of personal failure, or threat to their (imagined) role as top dog. When something upsets them, aggression is the default response.

Men affected by machismo are often possessive, competitive, and motivated by material success; because there's an expectation to provide for - and honor - your family. They will often talk over women, objectify or ignore them completely, like second class citizens.

Whether this was a conscious intention or not, Hima actually does a great job at displaying Romano as a machismo poster boy. He's simultaneously expressive and repressed. He's stubborn, defensive and argumentative, and if that doesn't say Italian dad to you then you're probably a WASP /hj

What the fandom might see as a little tsundere uke, I see as machismo tough guy. He's not soft, that's the thing, but he deserves space to be soft because so does everyone. Maybe Antonio does bring that out in him. But it's not easy and it's not for anyone else to see. He pretends to hate when Toni calls him cute because he doesn't allow himself to feel appreciated on that level. He actually has a deep, unspoken respect for Antonio. It's just easier to tease him.

And he actually does care. He just does it in a way that isn't instantly recognisable as caring because it's not 'gentle'. He's jealous of Feliciano because he's the 'nice' brother. He's concerned for Feli when others mistreat him. That concern and protectiveness translates into condescension and ironically, distancing.

Sorry for going so in depth on what is essentially old man land mass yaoi, if you've read this far thank you and congratulations I guess.

[feynavaley]

I keep seeing people claiming things that straight-up contradict canon about America and Canada's dynamic, so I'm going to clarify a couple of points.

What's canon: Canada makes America cry after insulting him at length during an argument. Once. (The other time, we don't get to see America's reaction, even though we can certainly surmise he doesn't take it well.)

What's NOT canon: Canada constantly bullies (or even abuses!) America, treats him horribly and believes to be above him.

As I have already stressed, Canada makes America cry at most two times in canon.

Now, this obviously isn't okay and I'm not claiming Canada's actions were right. However, people just love to dismiss the context. First of all, this isn't Canada just insulting America out of nowhere without a justification, they're in the middle of arguments. Not to mention, both times, America is the one who starts insulting Canada. (This is another thing people conveniently never mention.) Then, Canada answers and, with the spirits running so high, he definitely goes too far. Even so, there is a context that, without justifying it, does explain why he lashed out so.

Moreover, Canada insulting America definitely isn't their everyday dynamic. They're depicted at ease around each other numerous times, doing activities and spending time together. All instances in which both of them are nice and friendly, clearly enjoying what they're doing. To make this even clearer, in most of their interactions, Canada shows no hostility towards America and is, instead, very kind to him.

Lastly, regarding the assumption that Canada feels superior to America... that one is explicitly denied in canon. Canada does have some issues with America's behaviour, this much is true. However, he believes himself to be overall inferior to America, not superior. He explicitly says so.

With all this, I'm not trying to claim that Canada is perfect or that he never does anything wrong. Just like every person, he has his limits and flaws and even though he's generally nice and accommodating, he can reach the breaking point when put under a lot of stress and then, make mistakes. But not being perfect all the time doesn't make him a bad person either. Not when that faulty behaviour is so different from his normal one.

[betty-bourgeoisie]

I've said before that I think Emil is an incredibly talented diplomat but I don't see that interpretation of his character get a lot of airplay in the fandom so I want to talk about it a little more. Because I think at the end of the day Emil is much more aware of power and power dynamics than almost any of the other nations.

Nations like Alfred and Ivan may understand power in that they know they have a lot of it, but they don't really understand the full extent to which their power impacts the people around them (which is probably for the better tbh). Emil on the other hand represents a country with no military, a small population, and very limited natural resources. Iceland's greatest capital on the world stage is that it's an important strategic point between the U.S. and Europe, so understanding power, how it works, and his proximity to it is in many ways Emil's only saving grace.

In the real world, the Icelandic government has actively used their country's strategic importance as a bargaining chip multiple times. They've managed to obtain a shocking amount of soft power through a combination of trade negotiations, tourism, and U.N-related schmoozing. They've taken what should, by any reasonable economic measurement, be a fairly impoverished and little-known island in the North Atlantic and turned it into a top tourist destination with some of the highest quality of life and wealth per capita in the world. It's actually pretty nuts if you think about it.

So in terms of Emil as a person I think this would have to translate into him being an incredibly talented diplomat. He's always very aware of who's on his side. Of who actually does the work vs. who sits around and takes credit for it. He's hyper-cognizant of his appearance and the way that others perceive him. He spends a lot of time trying to find out what makes the people around him tick and he uses that information to his advantage whenever possible.

And yet it's for this reason that he often comes across as very laid back and even unambitious to the people around him. He doesn't have the manpower for a war or even a fistfight, so unlike a lot of other nations, constant hustle and competition is a losing game for Emil and he actively avoids it. Flying under the radar and waiting to strike while the iron is hot is his only strategy, and he has to really understand both power dynamics and the people around him for that strategy to work.

[aleo-lax]

✎_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ↷

Analizando a Lux en la portada

🇱🇺 « Mini clases de historia »

¹* Atuendo

Para empezar, el nuevo traje de lux está inspirado en el traje de la casa real de Luxemburgo. Aunque la versión utilizada para este diseño es la que los altos cargos portan en el día nacional.

²* Foto

Está es de las zonas más emblemáticas del país.

Se trata de las rocas de bock, son los restos de un fuerte romano remodelado en la Edad Media, dentro de él también se encuentran las Casamatas Españolas, kms de túneles bajo tierra.

Su nombre es del monte en donde está.

Gracias a estas fortificaciones es que Luxemburgo existe, estás tienen un origen romano del siglo IV, pero fueron remodeladas por el conde Siegfried en 963, quien se considera oficialmente el fundador del país.

Esta remodelación de por sí tienes muchas leyendas a su alrededor. Entre ellas leyendas con sirenas y el mismo Lucifer.

Este castillo que a lo largo del tiempo, incluso con ayuda de otros países, se fue expandiendo creando consigo una de las mejores fortalezas de Europa, apodada "Gibraltar del Norte".

Además, Luxemburgo viene de Lucilinburhuc, que es el nombre celta que se le dio a la fortificación romana, significa "Pequeño Castillo".

Pero gran parte de esta fortificación fue demolida en su independencia, el pacto fue que sería independiente y neutral a cambio de demoler toda sus fortificaciones.

Aún así quedan algunas pruebas antes de la demolición (Ver en imágenes)

Todo ese pacto de independencia y neutralidad viene de la Crisis Luxemburguesa, que da para otro hilo, pero en resumidas cuentas, Francia y Prusia se estaban disputando la compra del país y estuvo a punto de desaparecer.

Como último dato de la foto, arriba de estas ruinas se encuentra "le chemin de la corniche" considerado uno de los balcones más bonitos de Europa.

Desde allí se puede ver gran parte de la capital. (invito a buscar fotos de las vistas en Google debido a la limitación de imágenes de Tumblr)

³* Rosas

En el reverso, salen flores (Siempre me extrañará que no haya amapolas por parte de Bélgica.)

Las rosas son la flor nacional de Luxemburgo, no se específica la especie pero varias fuentes ponen que serían las rosas blancas o la rosa canina/salvaje.

[mediaaddictsanonymous]

Episode 1 - "Fandoms That Raised Us"

The first episode of our new podcast, Media Addicts Anonymous, is live! We discuss everything media, but especially fandom!

Ep. 1 - "Fandoms That Raised Us"

Meet Tae and Sammie, two cousins with nothing else to do than obsess over media! In this episode, they unpack a few childhood favorites from the Chronicles of Narnia to Marvel movies, unpack the significance of the video essay, and explore the meaning of queer childhood.

Join Sammie and Tae on their weekly quest to unpack fandom's top media picks. The two cousins will delve into the significance of queer media representation, the ins and outs of fandom culture, and how what we watch and read is influenced by and influences our world. Tune in every Saturday at 12 p.m. PST!

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Castbox, iHeartRadio, GoodPods, and Amazon Music!