Okay, so you pag-ibig Hetalia. But, just being a tagahanga isn't enough for you. You want to really get involved in the fandom, roleplay as your paborito character, maybe write a fanfiction or two.
Well, that's cool, but, most fans can sometimes make some mistakes when it comes to roleplaying or Pagsulat fanfictions. Hetalia is such a diverse fandom, so the possibilities are endless! But everyone makes mistakes. I'm not saying that everyone in the Hetalia fandom is horrible at Pagsulat fanfictions, I'm just trying to say that sometimes, mistakes can be made, and there can be consequences sometimes.That's why I've made this guide, and I hope it'll help most people who need tips on things to avoid when Pagsulat a fanfiction or roleplaying in the Hetalia fandom.
Don't exaggerate the personalities of characters.
Yes, I know, stereotypes are exaggerations. However, there are some people who exaggerate the stereotypes, which I think should be avoided. For example, an American may eat 1 or maybe 2 hamburgers. The stereotype exaggerates this, making America eat 3 to 4, maybe 5, burgers. But the exaggeration of this stereotype is to make America eat a truckload of hamburgers, and if this exaggeration is repeated constantly, then it can get pretty annoying. Also, I have seen many people exaggerate a certain trait of quite a few characters. Take Prussia, for example. I have seen many fanfictions that include Prussia and many Prussia roleplayers who make him reference his "awesomeness" in every sentence at least fifty times, which is also pretty irritating. Yes, Prussia does claim he is "awesome," but he doesn't do that fifty times in every single sentence.
Don't make the characters shallow or two-dimensional.
After all, they are human personifications of countries, right? And from what I know, most humans have a very complex personality. There's madami to Prussia than "Kesesese" and "awesome," there's madami to America than "Hero!" and stuffing hamburgers into his mouth. There's madami to Romano than "Goddammit" and being in a bad mood. There's madami to Poland than "Like, totally" and "wicked hipster pink." If you make the characters shallow and two-dimensional, then your fanfiction or roleplaying will lack interest.
Try to avoid Pagsulat about or roleplaying touchy, sensitive subjects.
For example, try to avoid events such as September 11th, the Holocaust, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, just to name a few. There's probably people out there who will be offended if they don't like your style of writing/roleplaying it, especially if they are a survivor of the event or have Nawawala a loved one because of the event. There are many people out there who are still very sensitive about these subjects, and it's better off to avoid touchy topics like these.
Don't go overboard with the verbal tics/phrases.
Ah, verbal tics and phrases. Hetalia has so many! Italy's "Ve," China's "Aru," Romano's "Chigi," Poland's "Like" and "totally," South Korea's "Da-ze," etc. Verbal tics and phrases can definitely add some life to characters, but can be very tedious and annoying if they're crammed in between every word/sentence the character says. Instead, sprinkle them throughout what the character is saying, and don't put them everywhere just to fill up space. Here's a tip that I use. Before Pagsulat out what the character says, I try saying it to myself, and think about it. If I were that character, when and where would I say the verbal tic/phrase?
Here are some common mistakes that people make.
Mistake (Italy): Ve~ I pag-ibig pasta, Veee~ Oh! Ve~ Ciao bella!
Correction: Ve~ I pag-ibig pasta! Oh! Ciao bella!
Mistake (China): Ni-hao, aru! I'm China, aru!
Correction: Ni-hao! I'm China, aru!
Mistake (Poland): Like, hi! I'm like, totally Poland, and like, this is like, Liet!
Correction: Hi! I'm like, totally Poland, and this is Liet.
Mind your language.
No, I'm not talking about bad words and insults. I'm talking about the language that the characters speak in. For example, don't make Italy call Germany "Doitsu," and don't make Germany call Italy "Italia." If anything, it would be logical for Italy to call Germany "Deutschland," because that's what Germany is in Italian, and Germany would most likely refer to Italy as "Italien," because that is what Italy is called in German. However, this isn't necessary at all, I have seen plenty of good fanfictions and roleplayers that use only English.
Try to avoid Pagsulat in accents.
It makes me get a headache whenever I look at accents, and try to decipher what the character is saying. Don't replace Japan's l's with r's, don't replace Germany's w's with vh's, and don't-a make-a Italy-a talk-a like-a this-a. It can be very annoying and tedious to some people when they try to read something that is written with a very thick accent.
Well, there you have it. These tips are pretty much all of the tips I know. I really hope this will help other Hetalians out there! Thanks for taking the time to read this, and good luck roleplaying or Pagsulat that fanfiction!
~MallowMarsh
Well, that's cool, but, most fans can sometimes make some mistakes when it comes to roleplaying or Pagsulat fanfictions. Hetalia is such a diverse fandom, so the possibilities are endless! But everyone makes mistakes. I'm not saying that everyone in the Hetalia fandom is horrible at Pagsulat fanfictions, I'm just trying to say that sometimes, mistakes can be made, and there can be consequences sometimes.That's why I've made this guide, and I hope it'll help most people who need tips on things to avoid when Pagsulat a fanfiction or roleplaying in the Hetalia fandom.
Don't exaggerate the personalities of characters.
Yes, I know, stereotypes are exaggerations. However, there are some people who exaggerate the stereotypes, which I think should be avoided. For example, an American may eat 1 or maybe 2 hamburgers. The stereotype exaggerates this, making America eat 3 to 4, maybe 5, burgers. But the exaggeration of this stereotype is to make America eat a truckload of hamburgers, and if this exaggeration is repeated constantly, then it can get pretty annoying. Also, I have seen many people exaggerate a certain trait of quite a few characters. Take Prussia, for example. I have seen many fanfictions that include Prussia and many Prussia roleplayers who make him reference his "awesomeness" in every sentence at least fifty times, which is also pretty irritating. Yes, Prussia does claim he is "awesome," but he doesn't do that fifty times in every single sentence.
Don't make the characters shallow or two-dimensional.
After all, they are human personifications of countries, right? And from what I know, most humans have a very complex personality. There's madami to Prussia than "Kesesese" and "awesome," there's madami to America than "Hero!" and stuffing hamburgers into his mouth. There's madami to Romano than "Goddammit" and being in a bad mood. There's madami to Poland than "Like, totally" and "wicked hipster pink." If you make the characters shallow and two-dimensional, then your fanfiction or roleplaying will lack interest.
Try to avoid Pagsulat about or roleplaying touchy, sensitive subjects.
For example, try to avoid events such as September 11th, the Holocaust, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, just to name a few. There's probably people out there who will be offended if they don't like your style of writing/roleplaying it, especially if they are a survivor of the event or have Nawawala a loved one because of the event. There are many people out there who are still very sensitive about these subjects, and it's better off to avoid touchy topics like these.
Don't go overboard with the verbal tics/phrases.
Ah, verbal tics and phrases. Hetalia has so many! Italy's "Ve," China's "Aru," Romano's "Chigi," Poland's "Like" and "totally," South Korea's "Da-ze," etc. Verbal tics and phrases can definitely add some life to characters, but can be very tedious and annoying if they're crammed in between every word/sentence the character says. Instead, sprinkle them throughout what the character is saying, and don't put them everywhere just to fill up space. Here's a tip that I use. Before Pagsulat out what the character says, I try saying it to myself, and think about it. If I were that character, when and where would I say the verbal tic/phrase?
Here are some common mistakes that people make.
Mistake (Italy): Ve~ I pag-ibig pasta, Veee~ Oh! Ve~ Ciao bella!
Correction: Ve~ I pag-ibig pasta! Oh! Ciao bella!
Mistake (China): Ni-hao, aru! I'm China, aru!
Correction: Ni-hao! I'm China, aru!
Mistake (Poland): Like, hi! I'm like, totally Poland, and like, this is like, Liet!
Correction: Hi! I'm like, totally Poland, and this is Liet.
Mind your language.
No, I'm not talking about bad words and insults. I'm talking about the language that the characters speak in. For example, don't make Italy call Germany "Doitsu," and don't make Germany call Italy "Italia." If anything, it would be logical for Italy to call Germany "Deutschland," because that's what Germany is in Italian, and Germany would most likely refer to Italy as "Italien," because that is what Italy is called in German. However, this isn't necessary at all, I have seen plenty of good fanfictions and roleplayers that use only English.
Try to avoid Pagsulat in accents.
It makes me get a headache whenever I look at accents, and try to decipher what the character is saying. Don't replace Japan's l's with r's, don't replace Germany's w's with vh's, and don't-a make-a Italy-a talk-a like-a this-a. It can be very annoying and tedious to some people when they try to read something that is written with a very thick accent.
Well, there you have it. These tips are pretty much all of the tips I know. I really hope this will help other Hetalians out there! Thanks for taking the time to read this, and good luck roleplaying or Pagsulat that fanfiction!
~MallowMarsh
