[Q&A] Russia's strength

[transemacabre.livejournal.com]

At any point in the strips, does Russia demonstrate any strength feats on par with what we see America do? (ie. like when baby America lifts a buffalo, or when he drags around England's car one-handed). I swear I've looked and I can't find anything. I see Russia portrayed as super-strong, as strong or stronger than America, in so many fanfics, but I can't think of anything in the strips *themselves*. But maybe I'm missing something obvious. Halp?

Comments

[haro.livejournal.com]

There's no evidence that he's as strong or stronger than America, but in the 2010 Christmas bloodbath, Finland notes that most nations don't have super strength like say, America and Russia.

[myfuckinglestat.livejournal.com]

mmm never seen something like that on the anime, but as you can see

http://www.nuevomapa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/mapamundi.gif

Russia is bigger than US, I suppose US strengh comes from being a superpower?

[transemacabre.livejournal.com]

My suspicion is that America's strength is just a unique quirk, like Russia's removable heart.

[myfuckinglestat.livejournal.com]

I think you got me with that, because I've got no explantion about Russia's heart, not that his former state as the USSR has something to do with that -_-'

[atrocity13.livejournal.com]

Haha my headcanon is that Russia have TWO hearts - Moscow as main and St-Petersburg as a spare one so when Moscow falls out he doest faint or stuff

[myfuckinglestat.livejournal.com]

ohh wait a nminute...hes a cheater!! don't tell me he's two timing US and China!!

[sara-rojo.livejournal.com]

You are now the official owner of my heart for this comment ♥

[myfuckinglestat.livejournal.com]

aww that's the sweetest thing someone has ever said to me <3

[arisonkitsune.livejournal.com]

... Russia is a Time Lord?

/goesbacktolurkingnow

[hoshiko-2000.livejournal.com]

YOUR ICON 0.0!!

[atrocity13.livejournal.com]

It's really pisses me that almost everyone forget about America's super-strength and make hima a victim of rape >< Really, no one can force America into something if he doesn't want it! Russia can't be as strong as Alfred because Britan, when Alfred was a baby colony, was a mighty British Empire and bigger that Russia but he was weaker that him nevertheless. My realistic mind and my seme-Alfred loving heart protest against such stupidity T_____T

[marquis25.livejournal.com]

^THIS

[marquis25.livejournal.com]

*WARNING*RANT*AHEAD*

Maybe if America is drugged/drunk/starved/something else to weaken him he could be raped, but America normally? I don't think so.

This also means that England couldn't really have molested him when he was a colony because if he did something to America that America didn't like, America could easily stop him unless one of the above situations came into play.

I don't think enough fanfic authors acknowledge this (probably because it's inconvenient). Sometimes it'll get a mention of America holding back his strength. I did read one USUK smut fic that involved America being handcuffed and that mentioned they used real cuffs because America would break anything weaker. There was also one, again USUK smut fic, where America had been constantly bottoming because it was less likely that he'd lose control of his strength. There's also one morning-after USUK fic where America's feeling guilty about all the bruises he's accidentally left on England.

Also, I quote relavant passages of "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" (an essay explaining why Lois Lane and Superman can never have sex):
"The problem is this. Electroencephalograms taken of men and women during sexual intercourse show that orgasm resembles "a kind of pleasurable epileptic attack." One loses control over one's muscles.

Superman has been known to leave his fingerprints in steel and in hardened concrete, accidentally. What would he do to the woman in his arms during what amounts to an epileptic fit?

III

Consider the driving urge between a man and a woman, the monomaniacal urge to achieve greater and greater penetration. Remember also that we are dealing with kryptonian muscles.

Superman would literally crush LL's body in his arms, while simultaneously ripping her open from crotch to sternum, gutting her like a trout."

...I have clearly been thinking about how America's super-strength would affect his sex life waaaaay too much.

[transemacabre.livejournal.com]

America almost certainly has Superman-like control of his strength, since we've seen him holding fragile things like pencils. :) Actually, that would make an interesting fanfic, if America COULDN'T control his strength and was too dangerous to touch anyone, even a fellow nation, since a hug or a friendly pat on the back could crush bones.

The rape victim America thing is why I asked this question. I ship Russia/America, but roughly half the R/A fics out there have America becoming a weepy helpless uke as soon as Russia grabs him by the wrists. This ruins the otherwise fairly well-written "You and I Will Fall in Love" fic on ff.net, because there's a chapter where Russia basically molests America on the couch while America is powerless to stop him, and I was like, really? Sometimes even the excellent "The Common End" falls into this, as some chapters are just Russia going psychotic on a befuddled and nigh-helpless America. It's not very realistic to canon either, as when they interact in the strips America usually gives as good as he takes when it comes to Russia.

Actually, America's super-strength is one of the reasons I feel comfortable shipping R/A, as America ISN'T someone Russia could just intimidate with his pipe. Also, being around someone that strong can make you feel a little vulnerable, and THAT can be very sexy if you're of a certain... bent.

[marquis25.livejournal.com]

One would hope so. He still probably buys sturdy furniture, just to be on the safe side. :) Ooh, that would be interesting. Very interesting.

Maybe Russia can somehow drug America through physical contact? I guess I can see America allowing a little unwanted contact, but if someone crossed his boundary, they wouldn't be able to continue. Yeah, America and Russia seem to be just about equal in their canon interactions.

True, true. :)

[atrocity13.livejournal.com]

+100500

Really, I need to request it on kinkmeme *___*

[iskara.livejournal.com]

But as I remember, America's strength was portrayed only when he was young. We can say that he had his super-strength only in his youth and he lost it with time.
Насколько я помню, Америка изображался суперсильным в молодости, о его силе в настоящее время не сказано ничего. Можно сказать, что он имел эту способность только тогда, по молодости, а сейчас её утратил.

[iskara.livejournal.com]

It was long ago too. Especially whales.

[transemacabre.livejournal.com]

It's only been a few decades. If he kept his strength from the 1660s to the 1940s or thereabouts, it's a worthwhile assumption that America kept his strength from the 1940s to today.

[kittykat848.livejournal.com]

also, in the notosama game (that takes place in modern times) when noto is about to get hit by a bus america stops it with his foot :D
i <3 him so much

[mad-kitty12.livejournal.com]

Well, you've made a nice question. We can't really tell much of his strenght, but! In april fools we can see him easily carrying a 50(pounds? kilos?) sewage metal lid/cover (ok I forgot the exact name in english orz)

[transemacabre.livejournal.com]

I looked it up and a manhole cover (sewer lid) made of cast-iron typically weighs somewhere around 250kg, aka 551 lbs. Now, 551 lbs is a LOT of weight, but highly-trained professional weightlifters have been known to lift that or more. So Russia is at least as strong as the very strongest humans.

[hoshiko-2000.livejournal.com]

In the Lietviticus chapter Russia was also shown (off screen) to rip a metal faucet from the ground. In the same chapter he also ate poisen and survived, and (via a harpoon) pulled Japan through the ceiling. Oh, and he did also jump from an airoplane without a parachute and lived.

[atrocity13.livejournal.com]

Any nation can jump without parachute and stay alive because teire nation after all. It takes more than few kilometers of fall to kill a nation :D

[iwanttobeedo.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised it took so long for someone to point out the glaringly obvious scene of Russia pulling the metal faucet from the ground. That definitely takes more than just a little bit of strength.

[awww-applesauce.livejournal.com]

Russia being stronger than America in fanfics is usually just the author's headcanon or they just 'forgot' to put in America's strength. [and it bothers me to no end when they do this.]

Russia's never really been shown to have super strength in the comics.

[sara-rojo.livejournal.com]

Didn't Finland or Spain, or one of the leads of some special, say something like "not everybody can be superhuman like America and Russia"? I seem to remember something like that. I think it was Finland, since that doesn't suit Spain. So I guess Himaruya didn't show but still confirmed that Russia is "super" the same way America is.

I also hate the moeuke!America cliche, but I do think America can be abused in other ways than drugged/tied up/etc. Especially as a colony, as the wonderful and terribly creepy "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" (kinkmeme comic fill) showed us while still keeping in mind that America is very strong. But Russia is actually one character I could never see "raping" America in any way, because America wouldn't let him (a possible scenario could be Russia taking advantage of him during his Civil War or something, otherwise nanay).

But I do think that picturing Russia as strong as America (or maybe sporting a different but equal "superquality", like superstability when he can't be moved, pushed or lifted) sounds reasonable in the series' logic, and very attractive from an author's POV. We've seen China nowadays sport superstrength, when he knocked down a wall in canon and had to be restrained by America himself, so we know that economic and/or political prowess is linked to strength. Russia used to be a superpower, and is even now a formidable nation with insane military strength and lots of natural resources and political influence...is it so farfetched to imagine him as strong, at least, as China showed himself to be recently?

Though I have to confess that my little headcanon attracts me more for the potential weakening Russia suffers after the Soviet Union falls, and how it would affect his self-steem and his relationship with America. I've never seen this explored, after the fall he's usually resigned, sad/angry/resentful because he's alone and/or "can't play anymore", or cunningly trying to adopt full-blown capitalism to adapt. But I think the loss of personal power would take a toll on him, and I find that intriguing.