Aight so we’ve heard what paternal feelings Arthur and Francis have re: their people, but I’m curious to hear your impressions of nations who don’t actually have kids of their own. Gilbert has Ludwig but they’re still very much brothers, not parent/child. Does that change the dynamic? What about, say, Mexico? She doesn’t have kids but family is massively important to her culture. Then you got ones who act like actual children more often than not—USA or Australia would be my first thought.

Idk this is a fascinating thought experiment I’m curious to hear more

!!! Hello you, I haven't seen you in an inbox in a while <3. So I've got a question in the box about this for the young Anglos going to focus on Gilbert, Ludwig and Maria.

Gilbert, before 1918 takes a rather heavy-handed approach to his citizens in many contexts. I have varied wildly with whether Ludwig calls him his brother or Papa throughout my time in this pit. But is it a very paternal relationship in general? Being raised in a militaristic order with the hierarchy of the church and then later becoming what's essentially an army that just happens to be attached to a state made him a man who tries very hard to be both strict and fair. The Prussian education system was the finest in the world for much of the 19th century, with the larger German-speaking world leading the way in medicine, education, chemistry and several other fields. He wants to see his people thrive. He has a certain callousness regarding the lives of men; war is, after all, the endless meatgrinder, and it is what he's best at. But with his women and children, that relationship also exists. Obedience, discipline and loyalty from them correspond to Gilbert's devotion, even-handedness and sense of duty in return.

Ludwig for much of his history in the structure of the Prussian-dominated German Empire, where Gilbert filled the role of pater familas, soldier and usually had the final say; Ludwig filled that more domestic, civilian counterpart. He was and still is very young. He loves trains, he loves cars, he wants all the engineering advancements and is keenly interested in them and their practical applications of improving the quality of life for his people. In addition, he has always been very awkward in artistic spaces (baby gay didn't know why the fuck he liked men's butts so much yet) but is still very interested in the artistic developments of his people. Especially musically. I've always thought of adult Ludwig as having a very pleasant baritone singing voice and a very clear crystalline one as a child. He goes to the film premieres, he goes to the ballet, and he subtly pushes for artistic funding if he feels he can help there.

Maria, in my view, doesn't view herself as much of a maternal figure in the lives of her people. As semi-magical, semi-immortal creatures, they have that slightly uncanny effect. In some nations, people are just comfortable handing their children over to be held. She's one of those. She'll hold babies a bit awkwardly, but she loves them. And due to what she is, people don't comment on her singleness or her lack of an immediate family in Mexico itself. She feels most herself amongst them and usually passes among them without any problem. On the Day of the Dead, she's just another daughter putting flowers on her mother's grave. When the population takes to the streets, she's another protestor in the streets. She speaks Nahuatl She shops and eats in the markets. She has Valencia and Navelina orange trees in her yard. She doesn't mind the local children plucking their share from the branches. She lives and works and loves amongst her people.