Insert long thought process here...
More and more, I'm coming to enjoy more unusual, imperfect relationships. More interesting than the sickeningly sweet crap of harlequin novels and bad fanfics. The cooing and endless repetition of "No, I love YOU more..." ugh. Shoot THEM now. People have pasts and issues (and subscriptions^^), they don't go away just because they find someone. It may lessen and sometimes they can get over it with a mate to help them, but it doesn't just disappear. Imperfect people that find they can deal with each other and their problems, that find happiness despite all the crap they've gone through, that's more satisfying.
I've always liked the idea of "opposites attract". Many of my characters have very different personalities compared to their partners. But despite that, they still have something in common, some way to get along with each other. Reminds me of the yinyang symbol (and is the main reason YinYang was titled that way), two different halves that need each other and have a bit of each other in them. One emotionally stunted, twisted control freak can find everything he needs to be content in a smartass with a violent temper and trust issues. They started off hating each other, only enjoying the thrill of pissing each other off, and that turns into the realization that the only one who really understands them is the rival. (Can anyone guess who? ^^)
This is probably why I'm drawn to the pairing of AlfredxArthur (Or USxUK as it's usually considered) so much. There is so much history between them, so many problems & misunderstandings and yet they're still drawn to each other. With the way Hetalia is set up, history itself can be considered canon and brings interesting interpretations through the idea that a country can be a person. 'Cause wouldn't it be interesting if it was real? That there was someone who was the embodiment of the country you lived in, its history, its people, their hopes and dreams bound to one person. If you could talk to them, what would you say? Just imagine everything they had lived through, the fear, concern and pride they would have for their people. And through all that, they're still a person with their own personality and desires, their own needs.
Which is why I really can't get why some people have to have a shit fit over Hetalia's existence. It's okay if it's not your thing, some series only appeal to some people and not others. But when you need to bitch, whine and moan that it exists without really taking a look just irritates the hell out of me. Yes, there are attractive characters. It's anime, and rarely do you get otherwise. Any character pairing is all the fault of fandom, which is actually entirely normal when you consider anime fandoms. Find a large fandom that doesn't have a preponderance of slash. Go on, I dare you.
And as for the biggest issue it seems, with history not being allowed to be funny, I say bite me. History is ridiculous, and this comes from someone with a BA in Early Mediterranean history. History is funny, stupid and often has "wtf?!" moments because people are that way. History is events of people's lives, and people are dorks. By trying to force history to be boring, you're trying to kill it. No one likes to remember dates of wars and when kings reigned. But tell them that the Romans believed the uterus was a living creature inside a woman's body and would jump around, thus causing hysteria, and they'll remember that. (I did.) Ovid was a horny bastard that probably slept with half of Rome, the Church of England only exists because Henry VIII wanted a son and didn't care who or what he broke to get one, and Europe isn't french 'cause Napoleon was dumb enough to think he could beat a Russian blizzard (And Hitler didn't learn any better. Don't screw with Mother Nature.)
The big upside to Hetalia is that it gets people to go research moments in history, even if only to look at them through the eyes of a comedic anime. They are reading HISTORY of their own accord. They are learning about the world around them, how we're all different and yet the same, and to like them despite their faults. It fosters love in your own country. I've come across lots of people that said they didn't care about their country before Hetalia showed them what there was to like. A show that brings people to learn about other cultures, to like them for who they are despite their faults, that breeds world tolerance, how is that a BAD thing?!
This thought process is long enough, and I really don't need to prove my interests to anyone. People will believe whatever they want, no matter how illogical and without proper reason that position is.
I've always liked the idea of "opposites attract". Many of my characters have very different personalities compared to their partners. But despite that, they still have something in common, some way to get along with each other. Reminds me of the yinyang symbol (and is the main reason YinYang was titled that way), two different halves that need each other and have a bit of each other in them. One emotionally stunted, twisted control freak can find everything he needs to be content in a smartass with a violent temper and trust issues. They started off hating each other, only enjoying the thrill of pissing each other off, and that turns into the realization that the only one who really understands them is the rival. (Can anyone guess who? ^^)
This is probably why I'm drawn to the pairing of AlfredxArthur (Or USxUK as it's usually considered) so much. There is so much history between them, so many problems & misunderstandings and yet they're still drawn to each other. With the way Hetalia is set up, history itself can be considered canon and brings interesting interpretations through the idea that a country can be a person. 'Cause wouldn't it be interesting if it was real? That there was someone who was the embodiment of the country you lived in, its history, its people, their hopes and dreams bound to one person. If you could talk to them, what would you say? Just imagine everything they had lived through, the fear, concern and pride they would have for their people. And through all that, they're still a person with their own personality and desires, their own needs.
Which is why I really can't get why some people have to have a shit fit over Hetalia's existence. It's okay if it's not your thing, some series only appeal to some people and not others. But when you need to bitch, whine and moan that it exists without really taking a look just irritates the hell out of me. Yes, there are attractive characters. It's anime, and rarely do you get otherwise. Any character pairing is all the fault of fandom, which is actually entirely normal when you consider anime fandoms. Find a large fandom that doesn't have a preponderance of slash. Go on, I dare you.
And as for the biggest issue it seems, with history not being allowed to be funny, I say bite me. History is ridiculous, and this comes from someone with a BA in Early Mediterranean history. History is funny, stupid and often has "wtf?!" moments because people are that way. History is events of people's lives, and people are dorks. By trying to force history to be boring, you're trying to kill it. No one likes to remember dates of wars and when kings reigned. But tell them that the Romans believed the uterus was a living creature inside a woman's body and would jump around, thus causing hysteria, and they'll remember that. (I did.) Ovid was a horny bastard that probably slept with half of Rome, the Church of England only exists because Henry VIII wanted a son and didn't care who or what he broke to get one, and Europe isn't french 'cause Napoleon was dumb enough to think he could beat a Russian blizzard (And Hitler didn't learn any better. Don't screw with Mother Nature.)
The big upside to Hetalia is that it gets people to go research moments in history, even if only to look at them through the eyes of a comedic anime. They are reading HISTORY of their own accord. They are learning about the world around them, how we're all different and yet the same, and to like them despite their faults. It fosters love in your own country. I've come across lots of people that said they didn't care about their country before Hetalia showed them what there was to like. A show that brings people to learn about other cultures, to like them for who they are despite their faults, that breeds world tolerance, how is that a BAD thing?!
This thought process is long enough, and I really don't need to prove my interests to anyone. People will believe whatever they want, no matter how illogical and without proper reason that position is.