http://shadowfaeyre.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] shadowfaeyre.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] hetalia2013-02-22 07:22 pm

Roundtable Topics?

I hope this is a viable discussion topic!

I'm hosting a Hetalia Roundtable at Momo con this year, and I've been looking for some topics for everyone to discuss.
The goal is for other Hetalians to meet each other and discuss some of the more obscure things about the series, like "Can a nation's citizens identify the personification of their nation?", "How are the mochi's 'alive'?", and similar things.

I'm looking for canon-based topics only; this includes official comic strips, chapters, events (i.e Bloodbath, Hetaween), and canon-AU's, like mochitalia, nekotalia, nyotalia, 2!P, gakuen, cardverse, etc. But only canon, not fandom versions, such as fanon-made 2!P characters.
Also topics involving politics, current events, character bashing, and ships aren't allowed. This is meant to be fun, I'd rather steer clear of touchy subjects.

If anyone has any topics, that would be most appreciated! No one else has given me any yet. I have a few, but I'd prefer a greater variety.

Thanks!

[identity profile] thisisvodka.livejournal.com 2013-02-23 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
Perhaps a good topic to pursue would be the separation of a personification from its government/people? :o Like, whether it's an actual thing or not. It seems to be a hot topic since some people like to think that they are a separate entity whereas others believe that they cannot deviate from their people's wishes. (The latter seems to be the most popular theory, tbh.)

The only downside is that, while it could be an interesting and light-hearted topic (such as nations remaining friends despite the bad blood between its people), it's a topic that could potentially lead to... darker places. T__T I suppose as long as you emphasise the friendship aspect of the topic, and explore how nations are able to get along, it would be okay?

Another interesting topic (and this one is actually completely light-hearted!) could be the nations' favourite places to visit? And discuss if any of them have property in another country (perhaps England has a place to stay in America, for example ;D) or if they tend to just visit each other's houses as guests instead?

Bleh sorry if those are boring topics kfkgknhkgkfd I'm not very good at this orz

[identity profile] cocoacoconuts24.livejournal.com 2013-02-23 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
I think those are very interesting topics - especially the question regarding a nation-personification's free will vs. their government. We've seen Japan form an alliance with England despite his boss's disapproval - so who knows?

Going off that, do the personifications have any of their own political opinions? Like for instance, is America a Democrat? Republican? Does he get to vote on anything? Even if the nations are required to stay neutral and objective, where do they personally stand on their countries' hot political topics? Or are they somehow mentally hard-wired to not have opinions on their nation's politics? (I know I'm breaking the "no-politics" rule, for which I apologize. This is just something I've been pondering.)

I think another good topic could be: If any of the countries formed a close personal bond with one of their citizens/historical figures, who would it be and why? (Aside from Prussia and France.)

pennilee: (really?)

[personal profile] pennilee 2013-02-23 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
//just throwing my two cents out there orz" Yeah- I've been thinking about those topics for a while now as well. Some people prefer to think the nations tend to stick to whichever side has the majority, but I'm sure they have personal opinions of their own from their own history. Also, I've been thinking whether they can think for themselves or they are glued to whatever the government/people thinks. Basically, same thing as [livejournal.com profile] thisisvodka said. XD

These topics aren't explained by Himaruya-sensei, and a couple of other important ones as well... ;u; there are just some things in Hetalia I cannot understand. :p

That's a good one. :D
pennilee: (awesome!)

[personal profile] pennilee 2013-02-23 07:16 am (UTC)(link)
:) /*o*\ I hope your idea goes well, since this is an interesting thing, I'm sure a lot of Hetalia fans will be there. :3

[identity profile] webcomix.livejournal.com 2013-02-23 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
There's one Hetalia topic that I've found always brings out a lively and intelligent discussion: rebellions and revolutions. Who do the Nations side with? How do they cope with the conflicting beliefs and emotions? What is the course that they ultimately have to take? I've had talks with my fellow APH friends about this before - completely different circles too - and people are always fascinated by it.

There are many examples to draw upon in canon, such as the Russia Bloody Sunday strip and even "Though I Depart, You Shall Remain" (I always use France's ship metaphor to explain my own headcanon). There are also plenty of RL events to take into consideration: revolutions that succeeded such as the American Revolution, those that remained mere acts of rebellion like Tiananmen Square, current affairs such as the riots in Egypt. Even consider the effects of a nonviolent protest like India's or the Czech Republic's. Each of these situations are unique to the culture, time period, and politics of each country. And of course, being Hetalia, we have the added factor of the Nation characters' own personalities...which gives a more personable and thoughtful twist on how these moments in history affect them.

Under the blanket topic of uprising, you can follow up with TONS of related questions!


(And of course my Les Miserables icon will be used on such a post =3=)
Edited 2013-02-23 16:24 (UTC)