Well. This a darker angle to the hatred between France and England. You know, I've often thought that with the violence that the countries of France and England both inflicted on each other, typically with France initiating it... That this somewhat innocent cat and mouse relationship they have is a bit too simplistic for me.
There are times that I genuinely think the character of England has a deep hatred of France. They gloss over it in the show but historically these two countries have a deep hatred of each other.
So, this whole story arc of France invading England and everything horrible that takes place, it fits more with England's personality that is shown that he would never forgive it.
You bring up an interesting topic of what nations could go through, victimizing and abusing each other all to the centuries, and then they have to still work together. It's a pretty sick kind of dynamic... How would they live with it? I imagine bitterness and simmering rage might exist in all of the older countries. Trauma of all kinds wouldn't go away in people that live forever. Maybe it would go dormant from time to time, although I doubt it, but it's always there.

I don't know if other reviewers say so but I don't mind the age changes to the young England and France. For one thing, it would be damn creepy having a child france abuse a child England. Sometimes I feel like the writer of hetalia, being a foreigner, only has a elementary level understanding of the true age of every nation. The nation of America for example is over 300 years old, and America has had some very tough times in history and yet he is seen as this happy idiot 19 year old. I have never agreed with that portrayal. I even less endorse the fact that England and America look the same age, and they are a millennia or more apart. In my opinion, England should be a middle-aged man at least in appearance. Perhaps that's too much for certain fans, but I like historical accuracy.

Anyway. A darker story but it sheds light on how much I think England loves America. I've heard it all over people can't believe how kind Americans are. stands to reason England, after all the wickedness he's seen, would have an especially tender relationship with him.

good mix of reality and the anime!

I know about the curse of the leek from horrible histories!

yay

I have no words to describe how truly amazing this fic is. Please keep writing. If you ever wrote a book, I'd read it.

Oh wow, the trauma of that rape of English. I just...whoa, and this has a lot of impact on me because I have a minor in literature. This has "trauma studies" written all over it, and I am majorly fangirling right now. I am so happy (ecstatic) to have discovered you in this fandom, seriously.

I LOVE THIS FIC despite the non-con FrUk and I just...ugh I'm far from coherent at how genius this is. I feel so so so bad for Arthur. OTL

Oh your idea of using different languages to avoid understanding between characters and reader is really cool. Also, your idea of how the languages get into a nation is interesting, i think that this was the first time i read it.
I liked your writing style and how all your research could be seen in the story and not only as something made without much care. Thanks for giving us this story.

Other thing, oh the arrow in the eye scene! Omg I was suffering while reading that imagining something like that in my eye :o

You gotta love English History.

Write on.!
Yuna

That, is incredible. I don't exactly squawk my socks off at USUK (UK/US, sure), but this sure makes me reconsider (until I leave the page, in which case it's back to regarding it with wariness tinged with dislike.

Especially love (weeell. Perhaps that's not the most fitting word here) France. Bastard as he is. It suits him, or maybe I'm just sick of seeing him portrayed as a rose-chewing Promoscuity personified. Not that it changes anything. The France here is still amazing.

Or maybe that's just the writing. Works either way:

I salute you.

I usually don't leave reviews, just add stuff to my favorites, but I just have to say this.

I loved this fic a lot. That's probably the only one I've read so far where this much research has been done (and I've been a member of FFN for about ten years now). It's so professional of You to have researched the languages and to actually care about accuracy. I also liked the fact that You put the translations at the end specifically to convey the confusion of the characters involved. I only speak English out of all these, so it worked on me very well. Using the media (i.e. the fanfic text) to achieve such effect is evidence of Your good skills as a writer. To add to this, I think the plot was very mature as well and that You mixed the Hetalia canon, the history and Your own ideas in a quite innovative way. Everything makes sense and I'm glad I've found this fic.

Cheers!

Amazing! *-*

USA always powerful and protecting England!

Yeah, If France only think to hurt England again, USA will kick his arse! Hehehe...

I loved the story especially the history that you put into it
I checked with my Japanese teacher and Igirisu does mean England in Japanese but it is also used to stand for the whole UK ( the Japanese don't seem to separate the two)
Still good job and I hope to read more from you

Amazing. Amazing amazing amazing. Did I say how amazing this was?

This is a great story, and the character interpretations were incredibly good, not slipping into OOC even once (Which is quite difficult, I know)

It was an intersting concept, to write the languages as they were, which made it impossible to fully understand until the very end, but have enough clarity that reading is simple.
Thank you, thank you, for this beautiful story.

waaaiiii such a great story ... :) can you make more stories about this? and with more beating up of france :) but i do have a question...what happened next? i mean he still has a wound .. and i would like to know what will happen like will he die and be reincarnated and etc. sooo ciao great story :D

I...I'm not quite sure how to say this.

It feels like the story ended without any real conclusion, a definitive end. There's not really any resolution. You begin the story by introducing a conflict between Arthur and Francis, but, except for a very small part that only briefly mentions the first half of the story, there's no interaction between them at all. Not even a battle of wills whereby England triumphs, or doesn't triumph, over his imagined concept of France through memories and opinions. In the end, we're left somewhere between Arthur having accepted the loss and his never willing to giving in. In the end, we get neither since it's a rather uncertain end and whatever gains and/or losses there are are never clarified.

This kind of leaves Alfred without a purpose, as well, since he doesn't bring Arthur back to the conflict, or helps solve it, or anything. He's "just there", but doesn't have to be. I could see how having Alfred would have been symbolic of Arthur having overcome the memory of being brutally raped, but that's not mentioned either.

It was a good piece, but it feels a bit incomplete. You've come a long way since this fic.

Oh, and the French was just fine this time. ;D

Blaklite