For me, in terms of real-life issues, I generally just think that they'll be affected by whatever ends up last on the plate. I mean, I guess I would have to believe that all nation-tans are super-genii (read: superhuman memory) because normal people don't have a brain that can hold memories spanning centuries.
So, I guess my love of science/the-physical-world/rationalization*cough* makes me think that they'll remember the past events (Mongol invasion, Sino-Japanese wars, Mao at his height of power, Japan's economic impressiveness), but that they'll also be able to distinguish the past (or even just push it to the background of their consciousness) with the (possibility of - ?) a loving relationship between the two of them in the future.
Ah, on terms of Kiku (touchy subject ya have thar), I don't like to see him as a cold and heartless figure. I've sat through a lot of (painfully biased) Glenn Beck with holier-than-though family members to have it pounded into me the corruption of the government, the manipulation of the people to accede to their will and the overall power a few people want to wield while the majority have to suffer (i.e. any government who sends their people to war for something the government wants, not so much the collective agreement of the people). I've had enough stories told to me by my step sister's grandfather who survived the Holocaust who believes there was some spark of goodness in those who were deceived into believing their government. It's even to the extent that my head cannon sees to two Japan's: Dark Japan and Japan. Dark Japan is everything that went wrong in his history: Imperialism, oppression, cruelty, evil, corruption, the corrupted government--the soldier who became dehumanized, the doctor who ripped the flesh off his "patient"
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I guess my personal reason for disliking the Dark!Kiku/Normal!Kiku archetype is because it feels (to me, at least) to offset blame. Like: "it's not me, it's my other personality!" While I understand that people do suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder (and schizophrenia - our favorite cover-all diagnosis! *shot*), those victims still hold themselves responsible - they still feel guilty and like they should have control over their actions. (That's where, I'm betting, most of the trauma comes from.)
Which is why I've never separated the characters into their "dark/bad" and "light/good" sides. I think that they're more complicated than that, and it doesn't do to split the character - much less the populace - like that. John Rabe was a Nazi; he's got a museum. Klaus Barbie was a Nazi; he's got a museum. I'm willing to bet that Rabe was racist; I'm certain that Barbie did help out other human beings (certainly not Jews
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I can see where you're coming from. For me, it's not just different personalities, but two different people. If countries can (poof!) be born from practically thin air, then why can't these different personalities take on a form of their own? After all, couldn't one say that the country's representative will take on the thoughts and ideals of the people? China's hate wouldn't just be his own, but that of the Chinese for instance
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I get where you're coming from, in that it is an interesting take on history, and historical interpretations. But I think that this is potentially... well, damaging. It's not "good" to let characters - real or fake - to not have to take responsibility for their actions, to be able to pass off ALL BAD THOUGHTS to a "dark" character
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A fellow Dark!Kiku writer! At last! TTwTT Reading it...just, wow. I'm going to leave a review since Dark!Kiku writers are so rare. Let's start a revolution! 8D *is shot by a sane person*
I've written with Dark!Kiku in it. Isn't he fun to write?
Or maybe it's just a separation that can't help but occur. I can see the validity of your point and that passing the blame on to something else is damaging. It can't happen; and if it does, there would have to be a very good reason for it. As I see it, the Dark entity is something that is so monumental it takes on a persona of its own--it's like a starfish loosing an arm and that arm growing a completely new body (which I heard can happen). "Normal" Kiku could still kill someone and of course it wouldn't be the Dark's fault. Rather, I see the Dark-side of any character as a source of conflict and is something like the personification of those dark thought/actions. (Sorry if I'm just chasing my tail with this
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Hey! Let's not even exclude the tiny oppressed nations! xD
But I'm actually being utterly serious here. I've totally been taught that any nation who has been recognized - as even a principality - (Sealand is out, sorry. It's just... not official in any way at all...) has already done asshole-ish things in their past. YES LIECHTENSTEIN AND LUXEMBOURG - I'm so looking at you.
(I'm just so great at pleasing NO ONE, right? xDDD;;)
True, true. It's not necessary to have them all of the time, but it some cases it just works. I like it because I do. (It makes for hot selfcest sometimes, too... 8=} *
3) Do real-life issues affect how you perceive the interaction between these two? How much have you read into the real-life relations between the two countries?
I’ve spent lots of time on wikipedia and talking to my dad and uncle. Real-life issues are at the forefront for me - for Hetalia, if it’s not Himaruya!canon, historical!canon is just as good! =D
Is your Yao, for example, more hostile towards Kiku and Japanese people than he's shown in "canon"? Has he not forgiven Kiku yet? Is Kiku a little...cold? Does Kiku cause trouble whenever he takes a business trip to China?
Yao acts nice in front of others and tries to be nice, since he does want to rebuild his relationship with Kiku, but for the most part, he tries to ignore what happens. I think he would realize that it’s no good forcing him to give an apology - since he wouldn’t mean it. For the most part, Kiku takes advantage of this and does do some petty things, but most of the time, he’s just a super awkward guy to me. XDD But cold, yes.
So... out of curiosity, is Kiku super-awkward (and cold, I'm guessing?) around Yao as well? That would make for potentially very cute fanfic, but graahh; so many possible ideas just floating out there. ^^;;
But wow! That's really nice/cool that you get to talk Hetalia with your parents. I guess I get to talk video games with my dad, but I would never ever be able to talk about shipping Kiku and Yao (much less JAPAN and CHINA) with a straight fact in front of my family. In fact, they'd probably think I was joking, and the ones that know Hetalia would choke, and then start laughing anyways (I'm shriveling up just imagining this...)
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So, I guess my love of science/the-physical-world/rationalization*cough* makes me think that they'll remember the past events (Mongol invasion, Sino-Japanese wars, Mao at his height of power, Japan's economic impressiveness), but that they'll also be able to distinguish the past (or even just push it to the background of their consciousness) with the (possibility of - ?) a loving relationship between the two of them in the future.
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Which is why I've never separated the characters into their "dark/bad" and "light/good" sides. I think that they're more complicated than that, and it doesn't do to split the character - much less the populace - like that. John Rabe was a Nazi; he's got a museum. Klaus Barbie was a Nazi; he's got a museum. I'm willing to bet that Rabe was racist; I'm certain that Barbie did help out other human beings (certainly not Jews ( ... )
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XD
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I've written with Dark!Kiku in it. Isn't he fun to write?
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But yeah - at times, it's just best to agree to disagree. :D
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Agreed. X3
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But I'm actually being utterly serious here. I've totally been taught that any nation who has been recognized - as even a principality - (Sealand is out, sorry. It's just... not official in any way at all...) has already done asshole-ish things in their past. YES LIECHTENSTEIN AND LUXEMBOURG - I'm so looking at you.
(I'm just so great at pleasing NO ONE, right? xDDD;;)
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How much have you read into the real-life relations between the two countries?
I’ve spent lots of time on wikipedia and talking to my dad and uncle. Real-life issues are at the forefront for me - for Hetalia, if it’s not Himaruya!canon, historical!canon is just as good! =D
Is your Yao, for example, more hostile towards Kiku and Japanese people than he's shown in "canon"? Has he not forgiven Kiku yet? Is Kiku a little...cold? Does Kiku cause trouble whenever he takes a business trip to China?
Yao acts nice in front of others and tries to be nice, since he does want to rebuild his relationship with Kiku, but for the most part, he tries to ignore what happens. I think he would realize that it’s no good forcing him to give an apology - since he wouldn’t mean it. For the most part, Kiku takes advantage of this and does do some petty things, but most of the time, he’s just a super awkward guy to me. XDD But cold, yes.
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But wow! That's really nice/cool that you get to talk Hetalia with your parents. I guess I get to talk video games with my dad, but I would never ever be able to talk about shipping Kiku and Yao (much less JAPAN and CHINA) with a straight fact in front of my family. In fact, they'd probably think I was joking, and the ones that know Hetalia would choke, and then start laughing anyways (I'm shriveling up just imagining this...)
Wikipedia is LOVE. That is all there is to it. <3
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