It's called a PEOPLE'S Republic [1/2]
anonymous
April 12 2009, 16:50:49 UTC
He pulled the cap lower on his face, glancing through the crowds as discreetly as he could manage. His government (he would never call them his 'bosses') had tried to retrieve him for damage control, but he wasn't going to be able to sit around in a cell, not when he was burning with the emotions of all the people, their hopes, their disappointments, their calls. Moving through the crowd, he focused on being solid, on being real, on being nothing but human. The people helped with their expectation that this man moving through them was just another man, because, in the end, he was what they believed he was.
Useless.He wasn't sure which idiot was the one who spilled the unspoken secret (because, really, who the fuck needed to be told to keep something this big from the people?!), but he was pretty sure that that idiot would walk away scott free, because there was no way for them as nations to retaliate, not when the entire world was looking at them
( ... )
It's called a PEOPLE'S Republic [2/2]
anonymous
April 12 2009, 16:51:43 UTC
His government understood: he'd made them understand. They understood that he was happiest when he had enough to eat, clothes to wear, a nice place to sleep, and work to occupy his time. They understood that he didn't really care for them, but he wouldn't oppose them, so long as things went well. They understood that, even though he could cross oceans in the blink of an eye, even though conventional weapons didn't harm him at all, even though he was essentially immortal, he was powerless, more so than any single one of them. They, at least, had free will, and were (usually) the only voices in their own heads.
But how could he convince an entire nation?
The ticketer was staring at him, trying to see under his cap. No. He didn't want to be recognised. Being recognised meant being forced to be a nation, to have to listen because their expectations forced him to. What did they expect him to do, if they weren't ready to do anything
( ... )
Re: It's called a PEOPLE'S Republic [2/2]
anonymous
April 12 2009, 18:23:31 UTC
Oh, that was just fantastic. Very powerful and frantic at the same time. This is the kind of story that really tugs at my heartstrings. Well done, anon! Well done, indeed!
Re: It's called a PEOPLE'S Republic [2/2]
anonymous
April 12 2009, 22:12:08 UTC
Oh, that was fantastic. I love the way that this points out that the nations really don't have any special powers-- that they're really powerless, in their own way, both more and less than a normal human. And the choice of using China to illustrate these ideas was absolutely perfect.
writer!anon confesses
anonymous
April 13 2009, 02:44:31 UTC
I love exploring the nature of the nations in Hetalia, and I happen to be facinated with China, so I usually end up writing him in this kind of situations. I'm glad you enjoyed this piece!
Wow, China really would be put on the spot in this sort of situation, wouldn't he?
I really felt for China - he wants to help his many people but at the same time he feels as powerless as his people do and he's getting crushed with all of their expectations.
Aah, but the end where he owns up to being a nation and decides to finally act was beautiful and powerful!
Writer!anon is pleased
anonymous
April 13 2009, 02:52:00 UTC
I actually have the image in my head of China marching up to his leaders with a whole group of people behind him... and then I see a repeat of Tiananmen, so I suppose it's good I stopped where I did. Ha... haha... I'm glad you enjoyed the fic.
Re: Writer!anon is pleased
anonymous
April 13 2009, 06:55:16 UTC
What happened at Tiananmen Square in 1989 was actually far more complex then just a bunch of people marching to the Square and demanding something from the government and getting gunned down as a result. I think a lot of people these days, especially those who have studied what happened in detail, wouldn't place the blame directly on the government, nor claim that the government's decision was wrong in such a black and white way.
I think in all fairness the blame for the tragedy falls on both sides. The students were too idealistic and let the protest get too out of hand, to the point that the entire city was pretty much at a stand-still and there were looting and illegal activity going on by those who were taking advantage of the chaos, and the government for letting the protest last as long as it did and consequently get as chaotic as it did until military force had to be employed to put an end to it.
Writer!anon speaks again
anonymous
April 13 2009, 08:08:44 UTC
If I seem to have implied any of that, I never meant to. All I wanted to do was to evoke the images of violence often related to that event. And tanks. Tanks are awesome, from an artistic standpoint. Awe-inspiring, terror-inspiring to people on foot, though probably not so much for people in planes high overhead, dropping bombs...
But the point is, I probably should have just said tanks, because I never wanted to link this fic to that historical event and cause misunderstandings. I didn't think that anything I wrote could be misconstrued as downplaying the situation around Tiananmen, or as passing value judgement on the parties involved, but, if even one person can read that from my writing, I have to assume that it's my fault and I sincerely apologise for causing offence.
Chinese!citizen
anonymous
June 6 2011, 11:03:14 UTC
This is bullshit. Whenever citizens and government confront, if the government uses deadly forces, the blame is always on the government. You can't say that because the students had made mistakes, that they were too idealistic, that they were too impulsive, that they were not wise enough, so they should shared part of the blame for the direct assault of the government.
That's such bullshit, no government in today's world is granted such lenient view, not the middle east, not any other dictatorial country, so why the Chinese government should be even more leeway?
I do understand what you mean by "complicated", yes, the causes that lead to such tragedy is complicated, and I am all for laying out the more nuanced causal views. But the blame, the blame that such deadly forces are used lied squarely on the government - because the government has a lot more non-deadly and legitimate ways of dealing with demonstrating crowds
( ... )
Useless.He wasn't sure which idiot was the one who spilled the unspoken secret (because, really, who the fuck needed to be told to keep something this big from the people?!), but he was pretty sure that that idiot would walk away scott free, because there was no way for them as nations to retaliate, not when the entire world was looking at them ( ... )
Reply
His government understood: he'd made them understand. They understood that he was happiest when he had enough to eat, clothes to wear, a nice place to sleep, and work to occupy his time. They understood that he didn't really care for them, but he wouldn't oppose them, so long as things went well. They understood that, even though he could cross oceans in the blink of an eye, even though conventional weapons didn't harm him at all, even though he was essentially immortal, he was powerless, more so than any single one of them. They, at least, had free will, and were (usually) the only voices in their own heads.
But how could he convince an entire nation?
The ticketer was staring at him, trying to see under his cap. No. He didn't want to be recognised. Being recognised meant being forced to be a nation, to have to listen because their expectations forced him to. What did they expect him to do, if they weren't ready to do anything ( ... )
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I really felt for China - he wants to help his many people but at the same time he feels as powerless as his people do and he's getting crushed with all of their expectations.
Aah, but the end where he owns up to being a nation and decides to finally act was beautiful and powerful!
In short, OP!anon loves it~ ♥
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I think in all fairness the blame for the tragedy falls on both sides. The students were too idealistic and let the protest get too out of hand, to the point that the entire city was pretty much at a stand-still and there were looting and illegal activity going on by those who were taking advantage of the chaos, and the government for letting the protest last as long as it did and consequently get as chaotic as it did until military force had to be employed to put an end to it.
Reply
But the point is, I probably should have just said tanks, because I never wanted to link this fic to that historical event and cause misunderstandings. I didn't think that anything I wrote could be misconstrued as downplaying the situation around Tiananmen, or as passing value judgement on the parties involved, but, if even one person can read that from my writing, I have to assume that it's my fault and I sincerely apologise for causing offence.
Reply
That's such bullshit, no government in today's world is granted such lenient view, not the middle east, not any other dictatorial country, so why the Chinese government should be even more leeway?
I do understand what you mean by "complicated", yes, the causes that lead to such tragedy is complicated, and I am all for laying out the more nuanced causal views. But the blame, the blame that such deadly forces are used lied squarely on the government - because the government has a lot more non-deadly and legitimate ways of dealing with demonstrating crowds ( ... )
Reply
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