Hello, Readers ~
To those unfamiliar with my Hetalia fanfiction, first off, thanks for checking this book out. What's written here is a long introduction to the contents of this guide as well as explain my interest in the subject. To those who want to dive straight into the book, feel free to skip this because it's pretty long. But to those who want to learn more about the thinking process behind this book, continue reading what's written below.
Prior to making this book, I mainly wrote Hetalia fanfiction involving my 50 States of America OCs. At one point, I described my 50 States OCs' relationship with their neighbors in the north and the south. Eventually, I got into making OCs on the Canadian Provinces. And now, as one could tell by the title of this book, I got into making OCs on the Mexican States.
Some of y'all might find my decision to make a Hetalia OC guide about Mexican States baffling. Like, what got me, an English-speaking gringo, into this kind of subject? Why bother making more Hetalia OCs? Why bother learning another country's history and culture? Why bother creating this book knowing most of my American audience might not be interested on the matter?
Well, I like history. I also like learning about different cultures. Mexico is no exception. Learning about their history and culture is just as interesting as learning about America's and any other place in the world.
When I looked up Hetalia OCs based on the Mexican States, there were rarely any results compared to OCs based on the 50 States of America. From what I could guess, the reason there were few results might be due to the fact APH Mexico had yet to be confirmed as a canon character in Hetalia.
Don't get me wrong! APH Mexico is a popular fanon character alongside many Latin American countries, all of whom many Hetalians want to see become canon. There's plenty of artwork and fanfiction associated with APH Mexico compared to the few works revolving around the Mexican States. I've already created a Mexico OC in relation to my fanfiction. I can stop there.
Yet, I didn't.
I wanna add more material for OCs based on Mexico, Mexico City, and the Mexican States. With this guide, I hope to expand anyone's knowledge on these OCs. On occasion, I may have them appear as guest characters in my 50 States fanfiction. By chance this book gets popular, I may start writing stories on them.
While I acknowledge my status as a gringo, I take great pride in these OCs. I base them off their history, their culture, and their stereotypes. Indeed, I'm aware of Mexican stereotypes being an issue. Which is why I'm careful not to make them gross caricatures. Overall, all these OCs are well-rounded characters, all of whom are unique from one another.
Obviously, there'll be people who'll disagree with the portrayal of these OCs. My only defense is the information I based these OCs on is limited, therefore there may be areas I haven't defined in detail. Other than that, feel free to criticize my work in a polite manner. I don't mind making changes to these OCs if it means making them more accurate as representations. However, please understand these OCs are created by me. I have the final say on what I do with them. Rude, toxic comments will only annoy me, so always be respectful when commenting.
Before diving into this book, I like to explain the format of these OCs' profiles:
+ Pictures: With all my Hetalia OCs, I'll usually have a picture accompany their profile to provide some kind of visual for their appearance. Unfortunately, I can't draw, at least not well. I'll usually use apps to create anime-esque pictures of my OCs, however, the apps I used are limited in quality. The other option involves using pictures I've gathered from the Internet; all of which belong to talented artists. Even then, the pictures I find won't necessarily match the OCs' physical description. Overall, the purpose of these picture is meant to help visualize what these OCs look like.
+ Human Names: To those who don't know, Hispanic countries such as Mexico have their own naming customs that are different from, say, American naming customs. For the sake of keeping this author's note short, I'll give a basic explanation concerning these OCs' human names.
I'll use my Guanajuato OC's human name, Guadalupe Maria Allende Aldama, as an example.
To some people, that sounds like a long name. Believe it or not, there are people with longer names than that. But don't worry. My OCs' human names aren't too long or crazy looking. The name may look incomprehensible, however, it's quite easy to figure out once a person understands how these names work.
First thing to know, it's important to understand 'Maria' in my Guanajuato OC's human name isn't a middle name. In fact, none of the OCs in this book have middle names. Some of them have one given name. But for others like my Guanajuato OC, they have two given names. Typically, both given names are addressed at once. Therefore, it's appropriate to address my Guanajuato OC by both given names, Guadalupe Maria.
Second thing to know are Spanish surnames. In Hispanic countries, most people have two surnames: one from their father and another from their mother. Even though these OCs don't necessarily have a father and/or a mother, I still give them two surnames as it is custom in Mexico. The surnames I've given to my OCs are mainly of Spanish origin. Such surnames are usually connected to an OC's history or culture (the same goes for their given names). For my Guanajuato OC, his surnames, Allende and Aldama, come from revolutionary heroes from the state.
Third thing to know is how to address Spanish surnames. Typically, it's appropriate to address the first/paternal surname among the two. As such, my Guanajuato OC may be addressed as Señor Allende. Of course, it's important to understand I may address some OCs by their second surname instead. This is usually in cases whenever a paternal surname is too common among a populace, making it difficult to distinguish people with the same surname as being different, non-related individuals.
Last thing to know, the names I've given these OCs aren't perfect, nor do I expect everyone to remember these names. I doubt I'll ever write fanfiction featuring only their human names, mainly in concern of any confusion that may arise. Nevertheless, I hope everyone likes the human names I've chosen after spending many hours researching the subject.
+ Gender: I'm well-aware there are many genders. For simplicity's sake, most of my OCs are divided 'evenly' as appearing male or female. Among them, I've made an exception on making one OC transgender. Obviously, some may disagree with my choice(s). That's fine. But keep in mind I've already made up my mind regarding their gender orientation.
Also, concerning that special OC, I have my reasons for making them transgender. Yes, diversity and representation are important, but they aren't the driving force behind my decision. For those who are curious, look up the term 'Muxe'. Whatever one may think of transgenders, I don't tolerate transphobia. Overall, please don't nag me for that decision at the very least.
+ Age: To be specific, this category refers to the age they appear as. For these OCs, they're depicted as teenagers and young adults: the oldest individual is 25 years, and the youngest individual is 14 years old. How I come up with these ages is a complex subject I can't discuss without adding two thousand words to this long introduction. Just know I based their ages off their history, notably how they came into existence and their statehood.
On a side note, their relationship with Mexico is familial, however, they're NOT his children. Some of them are 'more' related to certain OCs than others due to shared histories. Of course, all these things are my interpretation of their relationship.
+ Before Statehood/Brief History: This part features a 5-sentence summary of each OCs' history. In my opinion, Mexico, Mexico City, and most of the Mexican States have existed long before Mexico's independence and the 1824 Constitution. The inclusion of their summarized history is intended to teach readers a little about their history on how they came to be.
+ Statehood: For the Mexican states, this date is when they join the United Mexican States. It does NOT mean their birthday. In my opinion, the Mexican States were born prior to 1824, the year the United Mexican States was first formed. I like to think of their statehood as an anniversary of sorts. Of course, that's my opinion.
The only exceptions to this category are Mexico, Mexico City, and various OCs in relation to this book. They'll have 'birthdays' instead considering such entities aren't states. Plus, it's easier to find significant dates relating to their creation/independence, making it easy on my part to choose a particular date for their birthday.
+ Hair Color: No further explanation, right? ... Actually, I have something to say regarding this category.
While I understand the Mexican stereotype characterizes Mexicans as having dark hair, brown eyes, and tan skin, even if there is some truth to this image, some of my Mexican State OCs won't match this stereotype. For example, my Chihuahua OC has blonde hair that's based on the Mennonite population in the state. Yes, I know blonde and red hair colors are rare in Mexico, however, I don't want to necessarily contribute to the stereotype of all Mexicans looking alike. In fact, someone, like myself, may be surprised to learn how diverse Mexico's population really is.
Either way, please understand these 'abnormal' hair colors aren't an act of whitewashing. If anything, it's my attempt to differentiate my OCs and make them stand out from one another.
+ Eye Color: As explained earlier, I don't want to necessarily make my OCs look the same. I acknowledge eye colors like blue and purple are rare in Mexico. However, I like to use different eyes colors to differentiate my OCs and signify something about the OC. Also, I'm a weeaboo who likes the colors of the rainbow.
+ Notable Traits: To those who don't know, I'm not a fan for long descriptions or multiple categories describing an OC's physical appearance. As such, this section is a compromise. This features a short summary of important details about the OC. This can include their hair style, the shape of their eyes, their skin color, their height, clothing, accessories, quirks, etc.
+ Favorite Foods/Drinks: Compared to other Hetalia OC profiles, what makes my OCs unique is probably the inclusion of this 'useless' category. In my opinion, this section is a great way for people to understand a region. After all, food is often used in Hetalia as a symbol of a nation's culture.
Anyway, the foods and drinks I've listed either originate from the region or are very popular items among residents of that region. Because of my tendency to go overboard, I'm forced to limit the number of favorite food/drinks to five items per OC. Some of these foods are listed in Spanish with English translations in brackets to help my English readers. Speaking of English readers, I understand many are unfamiliar with what these foods are. Despite giving brief descriptions of these foods and beverages, I recommend looking such items up to better understand these foods. Overall, just know I've done a ton of unnecessary research on this category.
+ Favorites: This category includes favorite hobbies, sports, colors, flowers, animals, interests, etc. All such things are based on things the region is known for. Like the favorite foods/drinks category, I'll be limiting this section to five things per OC.
Personality: Much of these OCs' personalities are based on their history, culture, and stereotypes. Speaking of stereotypes, I'm aware of its negatives, especially for Mexicans. However, please don't misunderstand my intentions. Regional stereotypes have helped me get an idea of the state. Plus, it's important to know I didn't base their personalities off stereotypes alone. Learning their history and culture has helped me develop a well-rounded OC that not only plays off the silliness of their stereotypes, but it also makes them relatable and likeable to an extent.
Before ending this long introduction, I like to remind everyone this book isn't perfect. I'm a gringo. I'm not formally educated in Mexico's history and culture. Despite hours of Internet research, there's still a lot I have yet to learn about Mexico. As always, I'm open to criticism as long as it's respectful.
To those of Mexican heritage, I mean no offense to your culture. I think of Mexico like any region on Earth. A place full of people, all of whom express a unique identity that makes them stand out from other countries in the world. Indeed, Mexico has its problems. At the same time, I can admire its positives and understand why people are passionate for their country as well as its states. If I do offend anyone, I apologize for the faults and will do better in making this book more suitable for all readers. All in all, I simply wish to express what I've learned about Mexico, its capital, and its states.
Overall, I hope anyone who gives this book a try enjoys what I've created. Hopefully anyone reading this learns something about these places or has garnered an interest in these OCs. If I do, I've accomplished this book's purpose.
As a Hetalian, I say: PASTA ~
~ Jade