Messages & Sequels, by ElapsedSpiral (R)
Titles: (1) Messages; (2) Al and Artie Do Blackpool; (3) Dating Advice for Germans and Americans
Fandom: Axis Powers: Hetalia
Pairings: N. Italy/Germany, America/England, suggested future S. Italy/Spain and Canada/France
Categories: romance, pre-slash, first-time, angst, humor, amnesia, harlequin, epistolary for "Messages" and "Dating Advice", established relationship for "Dating Advice"
Length: Epic [~110,000 for the series]
Warnings: n/a; generally, chapters aren't above R-rating, but there are a few NC-17
Author on LJ: elapsedspiral
Website: n/a
Summaries:
In "Messages", Germany and North Italy are almost dating, but then Germany hears about Holy Roman Empire. Will Germany ever remember who he was - and if he does, will he ever forgive North Italy for hiding the truth?
In "Blackpool", England makes one last-ditch attempt to confess his feelings to America. The problems: Blackpool is not the ideal romantic location for confessions, and both Nations are too comfortable with their current status as best friends to take the risk of losing it all.
In "Dating Advice", England and North Italy are giving romantic advice to Germany and America, respectively - all four are suffering from miscommunication with their respective lovers, and have turned to each other for help. Mis-sent texts and suggestive e-mails combine to make the worst miscommunication of all: one that might break up both relationships for good.
Review: I love that an epic series for Hetalia, set in the modern day but *not* as an AU, exists - period. That every Nation is perfectly in-character and a joy to read is a bonus I didn't dare hope for. Even better, I can really believe in the slow buildup of both romances, and the danger that both relationships may crumble in the third story kept me anxious for updates this past fall. (There are more sequels in the works which will continue the series, but which are primarily about other Nations, so the storyline for these four characters is fairly complete.)
For those who aren't familiar with Hetalia, this is also one of the few series that I think is strong enough to stand on its own, even without knowledge of canon. All the details that matter are explained, and the characterization, which I still can't praise highly enough, makes it simple for the new reader to get to know Germany, North Italy, England and America.
[If there's anything I have a quibble with, it's the formatting messiness of ElapsedSpiral's journal. To make life easier for you all, here's each chapter and sub-section, with NC-17 sections marked. Whew!]
(1) Messages Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Epilogue and Extra: Oktoberfest (NC-17)
(2) Blackpool Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 (NC-17) and Extra: Scones
(3) Dating Advice (NC-17) Part 2a 2b Part 3a (NC-17) 3b 3c (NC-17) Part 4a 4b 4c Part 5a 5b 5c
Part 6 Part 7a 7b 7c Part 8a (NC-17) 8b 8c 8d and Extra: The Clothes Make the Man
Fandom: Axis Powers: Hetalia
Pairings: N. Italy/Germany, America/England, suggested future S. Italy/Spain and Canada/France
Categories: romance, pre-slash, first-time, angst, humor, amnesia, harlequin, epistolary for "Messages" and "Dating Advice", established relationship for "Dating Advice"
Length: Epic [~110,000 for the series]
Warnings: n/a; generally, chapters aren't above R-rating, but there are a few NC-17
Author on LJ: elapsedspiral
Website: n/a
Summaries:
In "Messages", Germany and North Italy are almost dating, but then Germany hears about Holy Roman Empire. Will Germany ever remember who he was - and if he does, will he ever forgive North Italy for hiding the truth?
In "Blackpool", England makes one last-ditch attempt to confess his feelings to America. The problems: Blackpool is not the ideal romantic location for confessions, and both Nations are too comfortable with their current status as best friends to take the risk of losing it all.
In "Dating Advice", England and North Italy are giving romantic advice to Germany and America, respectively - all four are suffering from miscommunication with their respective lovers, and have turned to each other for help. Mis-sent texts and suggestive e-mails combine to make the worst miscommunication of all: one that might break up both relationships for good.
Review: I love that an epic series for Hetalia, set in the modern day but *not* as an AU, exists - period. That every Nation is perfectly in-character and a joy to read is a bonus I didn't dare hope for. Even better, I can really believe in the slow buildup of both romances, and the danger that both relationships may crumble in the third story kept me anxious for updates this past fall. (There are more sequels in the works which will continue the series, but which are primarily about other Nations, so the storyline for these four characters is fairly complete.)
For those who aren't familiar with Hetalia, this is also one of the few series that I think is strong enough to stand on its own, even without knowledge of canon. All the details that matter are explained, and the characterization, which I still can't praise highly enough, makes it simple for the new reader to get to know Germany, North Italy, England and America.
[If there's anything I have a quibble with, it's the formatting messiness of ElapsedSpiral's journal. To make life easier for you all, here's each chapter and sub-section, with NC-17 sections marked. Whew!]
(1) Messages Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Epilogue and Extra: Oktoberfest (NC-17)
(2) Blackpool Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 (NC-17) and Extra: Scones
(3) Dating Advice (NC-17) Part 2a 2b Part 3a (NC-17) 3b 3c (NC-17) Part 4a 4b 4c Part 5a 5b 5c
Part 6 Part 7a 7b 7c Part 8a (NC-17) 8b 8c 8d and Extra: The Clothes Make the Man