Hi, I'm from the Discord chat! So, what ways are there to write the representation of a country which is so contradictory that you sometimes wonder how it's still together?
CONTEXT: My buddy here is actually asking on tricks to start writing the representation of their own country (The Netherlands, in their case) since they live in a really odd region and are self-conscious about making the entire country sound like that particular region, instead of a whole.
Those of my mutuals that know exactly in which part of Spain I live, will understand why it’s a worry I had to deal with as well xDD
“THE OH’S AND WOES OF WRITING YOUR HOME COUNTRY AND NOT MAKING IT LOOK LIKE IT’S THEIR ELBOW SPEAKING”
I’ll try to be as broad as I can, while talking also from experience, but in the particular case of the Ned, this post about Dutch Personality might be of use for you. It’s really great!
Also bear in mind, those methods I’ve learned in the past two years are actually plenty of work, but they work well if you are really determined to be very precise and focus on developing this one character. (It’s fun and so, so worth it tho ♥)
The base is what we are gonna build the real personality upon. It’s also what we usually are able to grant the character when we are not developing them in the story but leaving them as a secondary; an overlook.In this case, we usually see them through the main character’s eyes.
So we have to do the same. When it comes to writing your own Hetalia Country the problem is that it’s really difficult to do it from within because we are used to look for the differences between our region and the neighboring ones. Specially in countries where particular regions have their own history and cultural traits. We are educated in the particularities of our region, city, even neighborhoods! And people love to look for reasons why their neighbors are dank weird. We focus so much on that that we forget to notice the similarities. In fact, they are so basic to us, we might just not know they exist and confuse them with general human traits!
From the outside it looks differently.
So for the base personality, look up on how the tourists, expats and your neighbors see your country. In most cases you’ll notice that they don’t really perceive any huge differences between the regions’ people and you will be able to compose a list of common traits.
Analyse each of them; discard those elements that you are 100% sure are bullshit and that are probably just a common belief. Think about the possible reasons behind every little thing. Is that how the country really is? Is it just how people might perceive it? Or… is it how it wants to be perceived? Why?
There might be cultural, historical, or even scientific reasons for that. And this is where working on your own country comes in handy. Because it requires a lot of inner knowledge that you already have. From school, pop culture, the news…
2. PARTICULAR TRAITS AND BELIEFS
Build upon that base personality with all the fine details! Since the problem here is not knowing whether something may be general or very particular, research comes in handy.
Sites like wolframalpha show you a lot of facts; categories, and both general stuff and some very specific. You can also look for world rankings, surveys, social studies… If the hetalia characters represent their population then the highest percentage is the right one for them. And if there’s a more equal divide on something (say: 49/51%) then it’s an opportunity to introduce a problem, a dilemma, in their life. Those are always hella interesting!
Basically - whatever unsure choice you make, look up how to justify it! This is more your yourself than for your readers. So you can be positive you are doing everything by the books and sleep well at night. In most cases you’ll know the answers already, but the numbers are always good to keep at hand! xDD
3. COMBINE REGIONAL TRAITS
Now, don’t discard regional particularities. Those are a GOLD mine of extras!! Beauty is in the details ♥
We already talked about this on discord, but the ideal is to make a list with the most prominent traits, traditions, pet-peeves, preferences and yes, also stereotypes, of each region. (Not by making characters for them, because then they’ll develop their own different personality, and you’ll get attached and they will not be useful for being combined into the Entire country) Just a list.
They don’t have to be of the same thing, just. What is every region more known for?
Is it that their people are loud and headstrong? Is it that they love cheese too much? Is it that they are lazy and love to party? Is it that they have that one monument that they are overly proud of?…
And I know some of these traits can be contradictory. But so are people. We react differently depending on our mood, the situation, or the people we are with. Combine and apply these traits and particularities in your character when you see fit.
Ex: Most regions are known for being always on time and others for being late? - What about the character being always on time for work but showing up late for social events? || Ex2: Some particular regions are known for being lazy but most are hardworking? - What about focusing their hard work on some tasks and being a champion procrastinator on others?
Experiment, combine… you’ll see that you know way more than what you think you do ^^
4. DON’T FORGET THAT THEY ARE NOT HUMAN
They are Hella OLD. Whatever great developments or changes happened in the past few centuries, they’ve probably lived through them. That builds character, knowledge and experiences.
Ex: Why choose one single “vehicular” language that your character has to speak? If A country has several official languages, the representation probably speaks them all and then some dialects to add on. They may use them accordingly to the situation and to where they are.
5. AND OF COURSE: LOOK AROUND! ♥
This may seem too obvious but it really is a crucial part of the process in this case. Pay attention to the media, the TV, your grandparents… make friends with people from other parts of the country (preferably also APH fans) and consult them if you are not sure… I made some great friends this way and I’m sure you will as well!!
PS: THIS IS JUST MY EXPERIENCE AND HOW I WORK, BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! IF ANYONE READING THIS HAS MORE TRICKS TO CONTRIBUTE, THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!
LET’S HELP EACH OTHER OUT ♥
