I'm going to celebrate by long rambles and praise. I hope you don't mind.

I first found out about this fandom a few months ago because of its INVASION of deviantART's vital regions. I'd gotten out of the anime swing, but I went to check this out anyway, thinking "I'll just look really quick to see what people are talking about and get on with my life."

Stupid. Move.

I now have a full-blown case of chronic Hetalia Fever.

Of course, the initial concept seems controversial on paper: Personifed countries during WWII, mainly from the point of view of the Axis Powers. I cringed at the thought, expecting Japan to be over-glorified and Hitler to be portrayed as a misunderstood antihero. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author (Himaruya Hidekaz) didn't go there and made plenty of fun of both sides. Of course, many things were glossed over (no mention of the Holocaust here) but the way he wrote it, concentrating on the humorous/human side of things and separating the characters from their bosses/governments, makes it pretty tame and enjoyable. Not to mention the little nerdflails I have whenever I learn something. I am a sucker for edutainment, and Hetalia makes international affairs FUN. I really wish this had been around when I was studying history in school. Of course, the characters are based on stereotypes, so I can understand why some people get offended. I, for one, duck under the table in embarrassment whenever America talks. But I can also laugh because I have sometimes been in his shoes and know plenty of Americans just like him. (I also get this strange sense of patriotism that I thought I'd lost during those eight dark years.) I hope I am allowed to think that other people have similar feelings about Hetalia and their own respective countries.

What makes me really love Hetalia, though, is the fandom. The anime/manga only serve as a template. The fans create it to be what it truly is. I have learned so much about other countries (and my own) just by reading fan comics produced by the people who live there. It's truly amazing. As for country-shipping, I love basking in the crack. I feel a little weird drawing it myself, because as a former literature major, I always have the METAPHOR of it all looming over me (and I don't think many European countries would actually advocate a unification of the German and Italian states). The closest I can get to drawing a country-ship is the (platonic) Anglo-American alliance. Possibly because I've lived in both America and England and my own feelings and experiences are those of lust/longing/need for that wacky little island and its people. All that being said, I am capable of turning shallow at will, just so that I can fully appreciate fan portrayals of the gay romps of nations. _{In true American fashion, though, I did not realize that I subconsciously shipped USUK until I saw a UKxJapan video and thought "That's not right, UK belongs to US!"}

My favorite nation is (unsurprisingly) the UK. However, if I take out the metaphor and focus solely on the personalities/appearances of Hidekaz's characters, my favorite is Russia's nose. Well, Russia, but mainly his nose (because it is the cutest thing ever). Second would be Canada, because he is freaking adorable. I'm apparently a sucker for the lonely polite ones who have occasional bouts of evil. Third favorite character is UK, because, dude, FAERIES AND EMBROIDERY.

The strangest part is the things that this fandom makes me do. Rather than just stalking people on DeviantART for a few weeks, I am now participating. Back in 2004 I decided to stop drawing fanart of any kind so I could focus solely on my own original stuff. Then it got to the point where I was so busy with college that I had no time for drawing at all, and I produced a picture MAYBE once every three months. Well, suddenly HETALIA comes along and I feel compelled to ignore my online classes and draw some historical stuff every week. (By the way, it's all America-centric because I don't feel comfortable messing with other people's history. Also, that would require way more research than I have time for.)

Yes, I'm sure my ideas have all been done before by actual artists. Yes, my skills leave much to be desired. Yes, I am adding to the great landfill that is awful fanart. I'll apologize for that. But I'm learning about history, talking to people around the world, and having fun.

And isn't that what Hetalia is all about?