Have you ever wondered what countries would appear and act like if they were people...? Most likely not, but you should!

This simple thought is what created such a thing as Axis Powers Hetalia, a web-comic which makes my day all the more brighter....

Full of shonen-ai - which everyone should inject into their blood-streams daily- gag jokes and topical history it is a wonderful laugh that could cause a lot of stick if taken seriously.

The main story is set during the world wars and although it focuses on the three axis powers - Germany, Italy and Japan - there is a wide variety of Countries to choose from. You have a cross-dressing Poland (It is done for theatre in Poland according to a polish peer at my school), a tea-drinking England, a burger-loving America and an Otaku Japan- all taking the more 'endearing' stereotypes of each country.

Russia-san must be the most interesting of characters though. Russia appears to be pleasant on the surface but underneath he is seemingly very evil and sadistic especially towards Lithuania. He also has the likes of Estonia and Latvia under his thumb working in his house. Although now twisted it hints at Russia’s tragic back story and conveys that Russia was not always what he is now...

I highly recommend this for those who are not high strung and overly sensitive. It is appealing on too many levels but to enjoy it to its fullest extent you need to have at least a small grasp on international politics and history. It still covers the more recent events in our small, small world.

If you are still not convinced you should consider the looks someone will give you when you shout out SwedenxFinland, USxUK and ItalyxGermany out loud. Half the fun is contained in pairing up the countries through a very interesting National History!

The tale is not a normal one, for it is the prince who is in need of saving and not the princess. There are no dragons, nor knights or any outlandish curses. The tale is created and made interesting through the spite of an older brother.

The story does begin as others do; once upon a time… there was a princess. Names change from one book and teller to another but names are only tags forced upon us in birth, so in this I will just call her the princess.

The princess had a father, the King of the county, and this king had a dear friend. The king of another country.

This dear friend of her father had two sons, one of whom was older than she and one of the same age. Often the two kings would visit one another and with them they would always bring their children. As the fathers were dear friends the children soon followed suit.

It remained this way until all three of the children became of age. The two fathers, the kings, were in want of a unity between the two countries and planned to achieve this through marriage. The daughter of the first king was given a choice between her two dearly loved friends.

Both kingdoms were rife with gossip, who should the princess choose as her husband. Almost all, except for the deathly romantic agreed she would settle for the elder. The man destined for the thrown. It was therefore a shock to all – when she announced to her country, and to that of her father’s dear friends country – she was to wed the younger brother.

No one except the three children was aware of the love between the two and only one was aware of the jealousy the eldest held towards the younger two. It was this jealousy that had the elder run to his most loyal advisor.

He said, ‘Take this bottle, slip it into my brother’s soup and once he appears dead and everyone is aware of his supposed death, take him down to the dungeon which only I have access to.” The elder prince could not bring himself to the kill his sibling and so decided this was the best way.

The bottle was – if you have ever heard of the tragic tale, “Romeo and Juliet” you will not be surprised – a drug containing Atropa belladonna. Its use was to grant a death like sleep to those who took it.

When the younger woke up from this induced sleep, he wept and screamed and clawed at the confined space. He cursed his brother for locking him in the dungeons.

The princess mourned a week but did not find anything odd in the younger prince’s sudden death. She married the elder as the younger, the love of her life, remained in the dungeon.

The elder prince would often visit the younger prince, regaling humorous tales of his life. He would talk of his wife and how she still loved the younger dearly. There was also mentioning of her reluctance to consummate the marriage. This only led to the younger resenting his older sibling more.

The younger of the two sat in his cell for many months until a bird fell through the small hole at the top of the wall. The bird looked ill and as if it were about to die so the prince gave his last piece of bread for that week to the pitiful bird.

The bird soon regained its strength and looked towards the prince. Although it couldn’t speak it seemed to want to return the favour. The prince took this opportunity and asked the bird, “Please find the love of my life and have them save me”

The bird approached the princess and guided her to the small hole in the wall. There she met the younger prince and ordered that he should be freed. The prince and princess were once again reunited and fled towards her home country.

The elder prince, now the king of his fathers country became depressed. He had lost both his sibling and wife to his jealousy and selfishness. He died from his sadness soon after they left, leaving the youngest prince to claim the throne.

The country thrived for many years under the rule of the elder brother and continued to do so under the rule of the younger prin

Hey Go read my story and give it a five so I may win the nanotales competition!!!!! Wow I am so happy and really excited so just don't ignore my email go to http://The-Forget-me-nots.bebo.com and VOTE 5!!!!!!!

Please VOTE 5!!!!!!

Your Excited and shocked Friend Lorraine!!!