Can I get some France headcanons up in here?
May 28, 2015 6:39:19 GMT -8
✮Prince Leo✮ and Prince(ss) Joe ★ like this
Post by Empress Rose (◕‿◕✿) on May 28, 2015 6:39:19 GMT -8
also ok so here's my headcanon for Francis' theme song + the lyrics analysis I wrote up ages ago
~*~
How cruel is the Golden Rule?
When the lives we lived are only golden-plated?
~*~
I believe that, simplified, the meaning of this line is that the singer (or Francis) is asking what is so hard about following the "Golden Rule", which states that one should treat others the way oneself would like to be treated. If everyone followed that rule, then their lives would be "golden-plated", in a way. Surely, everyone wishes to be treated with kindness and respect. Everyone would be treated like a king if they had their way. If everyone treated each other like kings and were kind and respectful to each other, there would finally be peace in this world it would be so much easier to live in.
I feel like Francis values love and peace above all else. He wishes that all the war and poverty and crime would just stop so that he could live in harmony would his fellow countries and would never have to worry about hurting them. I think that he also feels somewhat dejected because all he does is show the other countries and the people around him love, but his feelings are never returned, and the people whom he cares about most seem to push him away because they find him and his actions to be annoying and repulsive. He wishes that others would treat him the way that he treats them.
~*~
And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me
Though I carried karats for everyone to see
~*~
This line further explains my feelings that Francis' outwardly flamboyant and arrogant personality is just a cover up for the depression that he deals with underneath it all; the feelings of sadness that he dares not let anyone see.
"And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me" implies that the feelings, thoughts and emotions that he carries with him are too heavy of a burden for him. The memories are too bittersweet. His heart has been broken one too many times by loves that he could never have. He's lost friends, and people that he considered to be his family. This sadness is too much for him.
"Though I carried karats for everyone to see" shows that no one else knows that he feels this way. They assume that he forgets and moves on just like they do. He smiles that same broad smile every day and keeps on telling himself and everyone else that he is beautiful and that his country is the best in the world and that his life is perfect and he has nothing to be worried or upset about. He's faking happiness. He's hiding his fears, weaknesses and sadness behind eyes and a smile that shine as bright as diamonds.
~*~
And I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies
~*~
This line can relate to how Francis feels about war. The main religion of France is Roman Catholic (more than 80% of people in France practice that religion), and while I don't think it has ever been made 100% canon, there is evidence provided that Francis is a Roman Catholic himself. He's said in canon before that he relies on God to help him with his battles and that when he looses his battles, it's because God was too busy doing something else to help him.
Francis probably believes that God doesn't like war and that it makes him cry, but because he knows that Francis' intentions are good and that Francis only wants to love everyone, just like God wants him to, God helps him fight and win his battles and defeat his enemies. Of course, this could also refer to battles with himself, as well. "Fighting his inner demons", as some people would say. God is the person that gives him the strength to go on despite how rough it all is for him. He believes that God will reward him someday and that this will all be worth it.
~*~
And all the lovers with no time for me
~*~
Unfortunately, in the meantime, Francis has to endure a loveless life despite always pining for that "one true love" that everyone seems to be able to find but himself. There are two reasons for this. Though, I feel like they would both be equally painful for Francis.
The first reason is that Francis is immortal. The humans that he could have as lovers have no time for him, for time passes differently for Francis than it does for them. He will be around for hundreds of thousands of years, but they will be lucky if they live for a century. They will age, and they will wither and they will die, while Francis stays young and beautiful forever. Francis doesn't want to keep going through the pain of watching the person he falls in love with die while he lives forever. It's for the best if he keeps his distance and doesn't even try to look for his love among humans.
The second reason is that Francis probably doesn't want to fall in love with any of his fellow countries because he knows that there's no way the relationship would be able to last forever. In Hetalia, alliances between countries are often portrayed as marriages, and when the alliances collapse, the countries are divorced. There's a chance that even after the alliances collapse, the two countries will remain on good terms with each other and the personifications could keep their love for each other. However, there's no guarantee that the countries even loved each other in the first place.
After all, the "marriages" are arranged by each country's bosses. The personifications have no say in what goes on within their governments. They're just there to be the embodiment of a landmass. It's a rather pointless existence, if you think about it. I'm sure that Francis would come to love any country that he was "married" to, but they would not necessarily return his affections, and it would leave him lonely and devastated when the countries "divorced" each other. It would break his heart even more if one day the two were not on friendly terms with each other, or if he had to go to war against them. At the end of the day, no matter what the country personifications feel towards each other, they must remain loyal to their own countries and must fight for themselves, no matter what that means for the others.
Francis would defend his country until his dying breath, but it would kill him inside to hurt someone that he had once loved so dearly.
~*~
And all of the mothers raise their babies to stay away from me
~*~
I'm about to delve into a topic that I don't discuss very often besides defending Francis from it, as it makes me feel uncomfortable to discuss it. It makes most people uncomfortable to discuss it, but for me it goes to the point where I don't even like to say the word that names the act. However, I will discuss it in this analysis, though minimally, because it is part of how I see the lyrics fitting him.
People in the fandom of Hetalia have a bad habit of labeling Francis as a rapist because of his sexual tendencies. They make jokes about him being a rapist all the time and some people even write fanfictions about it. It's completely untrue. As I've stated before, Francis knows how to control himself and will back off if you tell him to. He's even stated in canon that "love is not something that should be forced onto others". It sickens me to see people degrading him and portraying him to be something so vile and disgusting.
However, I often use the rumor of him being a rapist to my advantage in my writing. It creates angst and gives Francis even more of a reason to feel heartbroken and dejected. After all, the affection that he gives to everyone is mistaken as something so cruel; something that he would never ever think of doing. Unfortunately, people believe the rumors, which leads them to avoid Francis and he becomes even more lonely than before.
That being said, this line could be about women hearing the rumors that are spread about Francis and, knowing that he's immortal, warning their children to steer clear of him. The women spread the rumors unto their children, who grow up living in fear of the personification and avoiding him at all costs as they get older, and then spreading the rumors unto their own children one day. Francis can't even talk to someone because they are all afraid of him.
Alternatively, the line could be about Arthur (the personification of the United Kingdom) teaching his colonies to hate Francis. In canon, he's shown saying bad things about Francis to the young Alfred (the personification of the United States of America, though, he would have been Colonial America at the time). It makes sense, given the long rivalry between France and England that is portrayed as Francis and Arthur constantly bickering with each other because they hate each other and want to prove which country is best.
It's sad, but when I think of this line in regards to Arthur teaching his colonies to stay away from Francis, I think about Arthur taking Matthew (the personification of Canada) away from Francis when Matthew was only a child (his colonial days) and teaching him to grow up to hate the man who had originally taken care of him and who had loved him like a son. Imagine how much that broke Francis' heart.
~*~
Tongues on the sockets of electric dreams
Where the sewage of youth drowned the spark of my teens
~*~
I feel like this line talks about nostalgia. Mainly Francis' nostalgia of days when he was still a young country and things were much simpler for him. He was powerful and he was strong and he was young. He was innocent. He didn't yet fully understand the pain of the world. He was gaining more land and he was growing and becoming important. His people were discovering new things and it was a time of excitement for him, and for everyone.
Nowadays, everything seems so pointless and repetitive to him. The same old issues facing the same old countries and people, and no one's getting any closer to ending the chaos. The modern age can't be romanticized in the same way that the renaissance can. There's no love in the world anymore. Francis is sick of it.
~*~
And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me
Though I carries karats for everyone to see
And I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies
And all the lovers with no time for me
And all of the mothers raise their babies
To stay away from me
And pray they don't grow up to be...
~*~
These lines of the song are repeats of lines that I have already analyzed, with the exception of the final line of the song, "And pray they don't grow up to be..." which is very self explanatory, I believe. The mothers don't want their children to grow up and be like what they believe Francis to be. Alternatively, Arthur doesn't want his colonies to grow up only to act like Francis, or have their own countries become like France.
~*~
How cruel is the Golden Rule?
When the lives we lived are only golden-plated?
~*~
I believe that, simplified, the meaning of this line is that the singer (or Francis) is asking what is so hard about following the "Golden Rule", which states that one should treat others the way oneself would like to be treated. If everyone followed that rule, then their lives would be "golden-plated", in a way. Surely, everyone wishes to be treated with kindness and respect. Everyone would be treated like a king if they had their way. If everyone treated each other like kings and were kind and respectful to each other, there would finally be peace in this world it would be so much easier to live in.
I feel like Francis values love and peace above all else. He wishes that all the war and poverty and crime would just stop so that he could live in harmony would his fellow countries and would never have to worry about hurting them. I think that he also feels somewhat dejected because all he does is show the other countries and the people around him love, but his feelings are never returned, and the people whom he cares about most seem to push him away because they find him and his actions to be annoying and repulsive. He wishes that others would treat him the way that he treats them.
~*~
And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me
Though I carried karats for everyone to see
~*~
This line further explains my feelings that Francis' outwardly flamboyant and arrogant personality is just a cover up for the depression that he deals with underneath it all; the feelings of sadness that he dares not let anyone see.
"And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me" implies that the feelings, thoughts and emotions that he carries with him are too heavy of a burden for him. The memories are too bittersweet. His heart has been broken one too many times by loves that he could never have. He's lost friends, and people that he considered to be his family. This sadness is too much for him.
"Though I carried karats for everyone to see" shows that no one else knows that he feels this way. They assume that he forgets and moves on just like they do. He smiles that same broad smile every day and keeps on telling himself and everyone else that he is beautiful and that his country is the best in the world and that his life is perfect and he has nothing to be worried or upset about. He's faking happiness. He's hiding his fears, weaknesses and sadness behind eyes and a smile that shine as bright as diamonds.
~*~
And I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies
~*~
This line can relate to how Francis feels about war. The main religion of France is Roman Catholic (more than 80% of people in France practice that religion), and while I don't think it has ever been made 100% canon, there is evidence provided that Francis is a Roman Catholic himself. He's said in canon before that he relies on God to help him with his battles and that when he looses his battles, it's because God was too busy doing something else to help him.
Francis probably believes that God doesn't like war and that it makes him cry, but because he knows that Francis' intentions are good and that Francis only wants to love everyone, just like God wants him to, God helps him fight and win his battles and defeat his enemies. Of course, this could also refer to battles with himself, as well. "Fighting his inner demons", as some people would say. God is the person that gives him the strength to go on despite how rough it all is for him. He believes that God will reward him someday and that this will all be worth it.
~*~
And all the lovers with no time for me
~*~
Unfortunately, in the meantime, Francis has to endure a loveless life despite always pining for that "one true love" that everyone seems to be able to find but himself. There are two reasons for this. Though, I feel like they would both be equally painful for Francis.
The first reason is that Francis is immortal. The humans that he could have as lovers have no time for him, for time passes differently for Francis than it does for them. He will be around for hundreds of thousands of years, but they will be lucky if they live for a century. They will age, and they will wither and they will die, while Francis stays young and beautiful forever. Francis doesn't want to keep going through the pain of watching the person he falls in love with die while he lives forever. It's for the best if he keeps his distance and doesn't even try to look for his love among humans.
The second reason is that Francis probably doesn't want to fall in love with any of his fellow countries because he knows that there's no way the relationship would be able to last forever. In Hetalia, alliances between countries are often portrayed as marriages, and when the alliances collapse, the countries are divorced. There's a chance that even after the alliances collapse, the two countries will remain on good terms with each other and the personifications could keep their love for each other. However, there's no guarantee that the countries even loved each other in the first place.
After all, the "marriages" are arranged by each country's bosses. The personifications have no say in what goes on within their governments. They're just there to be the embodiment of a landmass. It's a rather pointless existence, if you think about it. I'm sure that Francis would come to love any country that he was "married" to, but they would not necessarily return his affections, and it would leave him lonely and devastated when the countries "divorced" each other. It would break his heart even more if one day the two were not on friendly terms with each other, or if he had to go to war against them. At the end of the day, no matter what the country personifications feel towards each other, they must remain loyal to their own countries and must fight for themselves, no matter what that means for the others.
Francis would defend his country until his dying breath, but it would kill him inside to hurt someone that he had once loved so dearly.
~*~
And all of the mothers raise their babies to stay away from me
~*~
I'm about to delve into a topic that I don't discuss very often besides defending Francis from it, as it makes me feel uncomfortable to discuss it. It makes most people uncomfortable to discuss it, but for me it goes to the point where I don't even like to say the word that names the act. However, I will discuss it in this analysis, though minimally, because it is part of how I see the lyrics fitting him.
People in the fandom of Hetalia have a bad habit of labeling Francis as a rapist because of his sexual tendencies. They make jokes about him being a rapist all the time and some people even write fanfictions about it. It's completely untrue. As I've stated before, Francis knows how to control himself and will back off if you tell him to. He's even stated in canon that "love is not something that should be forced onto others". It sickens me to see people degrading him and portraying him to be something so vile and disgusting.
However, I often use the rumor of him being a rapist to my advantage in my writing. It creates angst and gives Francis even more of a reason to feel heartbroken and dejected. After all, the affection that he gives to everyone is mistaken as something so cruel; something that he would never ever think of doing. Unfortunately, people believe the rumors, which leads them to avoid Francis and he becomes even more lonely than before.
That being said, this line could be about women hearing the rumors that are spread about Francis and, knowing that he's immortal, warning their children to steer clear of him. The women spread the rumors unto their children, who grow up living in fear of the personification and avoiding him at all costs as they get older, and then spreading the rumors unto their own children one day. Francis can't even talk to someone because they are all afraid of him.
Alternatively, the line could be about Arthur (the personification of the United Kingdom) teaching his colonies to hate Francis. In canon, he's shown saying bad things about Francis to the young Alfred (the personification of the United States of America, though, he would have been Colonial America at the time). It makes sense, given the long rivalry between France and England that is portrayed as Francis and Arthur constantly bickering with each other because they hate each other and want to prove which country is best.
It's sad, but when I think of this line in regards to Arthur teaching his colonies to stay away from Francis, I think about Arthur taking Matthew (the personification of Canada) away from Francis when Matthew was only a child (his colonial days) and teaching him to grow up to hate the man who had originally taken care of him and who had loved him like a son. Imagine how much that broke Francis' heart.
~*~
Tongues on the sockets of electric dreams
Where the sewage of youth drowned the spark of my teens
~*~
I feel like this line talks about nostalgia. Mainly Francis' nostalgia of days when he was still a young country and things were much simpler for him. He was powerful and he was strong and he was young. He was innocent. He didn't yet fully understand the pain of the world. He was gaining more land and he was growing and becoming important. His people were discovering new things and it was a time of excitement for him, and for everyone.
Nowadays, everything seems so pointless and repetitive to him. The same old issues facing the same old countries and people, and no one's getting any closer to ending the chaos. The modern age can't be romanticized in the same way that the renaissance can. There's no love in the world anymore. Francis is sick of it.
~*~
And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me
Though I carries karats for everyone to see
And I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies
And all the lovers with no time for me
And all of the mothers raise their babies
To stay away from me
And pray they don't grow up to be...
~*~
These lines of the song are repeats of lines that I have already analyzed, with the exception of the final line of the song, "And pray they don't grow up to be..." which is very self explanatory, I believe. The mothers don't want their children to grow up and be like what they believe Francis to be. Alternatively, Arthur doesn't want his colonies to grow up only to act like Francis, or have their own countries become like France.