Title:  Divided We Stand
Fandom:  Axis Powers: Hetalia
Pairings:  Germany/Prussia [a.k.a. East Germany]; Ludwig/Gilbert
Categories:  Angst, drama, romance
Length:  Long [18,500 words]
Warnings:  quasi-incest (it's unclear just how closely Nations can relate to each other, no matter if they do call each other "brother"); temporary character death


Author on LJ:  lilien_passe
Website:  Her page on Fanfiction.net

Summary:  World War II has ended, and to the victors go the spoils.  Deutschland is divided, and Ludwig and Gilbert are dramatically separated.  Can they ever reunite, and if they do, will they survive it?

Review:  I am an enormous fan of German history, so this Hetalia fic hit a lot of my buttons.  It's not hard to begin speculating on what happens to the Nation-tans we know from Hetalia WWII-period, once the war is over.  This fic follows, fairly accurately, the partitioning of Germany, and the slow decline of the East Germans... and declining with them, their Nation.  For added angst, Lilien Passe continues the story to the 1989/1990 fall of the Wall and Unification, and what it means for Gilbert now that there is neither an official East Germany nor a Prussia for him to embody.  Thankfully, Divided We Stand avoids the tragic ending it could've so easily chosen, and pulls back from the brink in a surprisingly plausible way - so don't be afraid about character death, folks!  

In the end, this fic is excellent for Hetalia fans and for aficionados of 20th-century German history alike.  The history is respectfully detailed, and the characters are - hmm, appropriate to their circumstances?  Nation-tans are meant to reflect the state of their people, after all.  Prussia is beaten but as stubborn as ever, Ludwig plays the mourning brother very well, and Russia (who appears briefly but steals the show) is eerily creepy as suits his Cold-War mentality.

Divided We Stand