George DeValier's VeraVerse
is a series of Human!AU Hetalia: Axis Powers fanfics set during World War 2. They all crossover and interlock at many points, though only two are complete.
We'll Meet Again is Alfred and Arthur's story. Arthur is the landlord of a pub in London, in which he meets the loud American fighter pilot, Alfred F. Jones. Unable to stop himself, Arthur begins to fall for the distracting American, but time isn't on their side as Alfred is called away to war. There's also a oneshot sequel 'Keep Smiling Through'.
Auf Wiedersehen, Sweetheart follows Feliciano and Ludwig's story. Feliciano is a Resistenza member and Ludwig is a Luftwaffe pilot, but a series of chance encounters in Feliciano's little village leaves him in a situation which will test his national loyalty and his heart to their very limits.
The in progress fics are 'Bésame Mucho', 'Lily in the Lamplight', 'Something to Remember You By' along with several others that the author formerly stated he had planned. As of October 2014, 'Jealousy' and 'My Echo' have been taken down, stating on his profile that "Don't worry, they are not gone for good. The content of both will be included in a newly outlined 'Lily of the Lamplight' which I am currently working on."
This Fanfic contains examples of:
- All Germans Are Nazis: Averted and discussed. The fact that Ludwig and Gilbert are not Nazis is heavily emphasized by the people who love them - they're just patriotic kids who joined the army without realizing what they were fighting for. In the end, both of them defy orders to do the right thing and save lives.
- An Arm and a Leg:
- Among other things, Antonio looses one of his arms after being tortured by the SS. It's unclear whether they maimed him or if he had to be amputated after being freed.
- After the war ends, the Nazis botch Ludwig's execution and he takes a bullet to the spine that prevents him from ever walking again.
- Artistic License – History: Arthur being allowed to dodge the draft and stick around London to run his pub and moon over American men? Unless declared too old or medically unfit, it wouldn't happen. Justified when the fic spells out Arthur's sexuality as "the reason even his own armed services wouldn't accept him."
- Ascended Extra:
- The first story George wrote was 'We'll Meet Again', in which Ludwig and Feliciano were mentioned, but don't actually appear in. Cue 'Auf Wiedersehen, Sweetheart' in which they're the main characters.
- This is also what happens with the other stories, in which the Author expands on a character seen as an extra or a side character.
- Beta Couple:
- Francis Bonnefoy and Matthew Williams in We'll Meet Again.
- Antonio and Lovino in Auf Wiedersehen Swwetheart. They eventually got their own fic, Besame Mucho, but it was never finished.
- Bilingual Bonus:
- Feliciano, Lovino and Roma speak Italian and English fluently. Ludwig and Roderich speak German and English.
- Crosses into multilingual, as Antonio speaks Spanish, English, Italian and it's hinted that he might speak several other languages from his travels over Europe before the wars.
- Francis is seen to speak French.
- Break the Cutie:
- Feliciano, when told that Ludwig was captured by American forces.
- Also, Arthur qualifies when he hears about Alfred's plane crashing and him being captured by special forces. Taken to heartbreaking levels when Antonio transforms from a sunny, passionate young man to an empty shell of a living being who only have moments of lucidity after being tortured by the Gestapo. Can double as Broken Bird.
- Lovino, too, when he realises nothing can be done after pleading with his grandfather to save Antonio.
- While it cannot be completely confirmed that it falls under this, as the nature of these characters has yet to be seen, it is suggested by the Turk that the Gestapo eventually does this to the leader of the Norwegian resistance by torturing a Danish pilot.
- Cassandra Truth: Ludwig doesn't believe Feliciano when he tells him that the Americans are going to attack their base, since Feliciano is a Resistenza member
- Character Development:
- All of them, but mostly Feliciano, who grows from the naive boy to a pretty tough man.
- Lovino is also implied to have rescued Antonio from the Gestapo and is regarded with a little awe even by the Turk, a far cry from the scared village boy he used to be.
- Arguably Roderich, as the Roderich we seen in Lily of the Lamplight is quite different than the one we see in Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart. Then again, war does that to people
- Cool Old Guy: Roma is a Retired Badass, an extremely charismatic leader, and a loving grandfather. He is not without his flaws, though: he has a lot of misplaced pride, is smotheringly overprotective of his grandsons, and doesn't always treat them like capable adults.
- Cool Plane: Greta, Ludwig's Messerschmitt, and Lady Beth, Alfred's Mustang.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Antonio had a mostly carefree youth, Walking the Earth with his two best friends — unfortunately, he was struck by reality after the Spanish Civil War resulted in the destruction of his hometown of choice, Guernica.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: The characters end up living happily with their respective partners, but they have to go through hell to do it; Ludwig is paralysed from the waist down, and Alfred will never fly a fighter jet again.
- Everyone Is Related: Due to the nature of the source material, characters with a near-zero chance of ever meeting in this context happen to know each other. Most notably, Antonio, a Spanish freedom fighter who happens to be in Italy during WWII is surprised to see that the one German pilot Feliciano has met happens to be his best friend's brother.
- Fate Worse than Death: Antonio's torture.
- Freudian Excuse: Roma is so smotheringly protective of his grandsons because his daughter eloped and died without him ever seeing her again.
- The Greatest Story Never Told: Unfortunately, only two of the ten-ish fanfics of the Veraverse were ever completed. We therefore never learn exactly how Lovino saved Antonio from the SS, what Gilbert did to earn Roderich's respect and how he died, or what Ivan and Natalya's actions that require a redemption from their older sister were, which are all aluded to in this fic.
- Identical Stranger: Matthew and Alfred, to the point where Matthew has to grow his hair for people to be able to tell them apart.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: All the stories are named after WWII Vera Lynn songs. ("Lily of the Lamplight" is a lyric in the English translation of "Lili Marlene" — "my lily of the lamplight, my own Lili Marlene".)
- Heroic Wannabe: To some extent, Lovino.
- Historical Domain Character: Arthur listens to Lord Haw Haw's 'Germany Calling' for updates on the war-front.
- I Will Wait for You: Arthur to Alfred in We'll Meet Again, and Feliciano to Ludwig in Auf Wiedersehen, Sweetheart.
- * The Jailbait Wait: One of the main conflicts in Antonio and Lovino's romance: they are respectively 25 and 15 when they first meet. It's various degrees of love at first sight on both sides, but Antonio is very much distraught when he realizes how hard he is falling for someone so young, and refuses to even see him again before he turns 18. It takes them two more years after that to actually get together.
- La Résistance: The Italian Resistenza, which fights against the German occupation.
- Love Across Battlelines: Feliciano is a Resistenza member. Ludwig is a German officer in the army occupying Italy. Somehow, they fall in love anyway.
- Love Hurts: AND HOW! However, and it is the great thesis of the series, it is the only thing that is worth the pain.
- Madness Mantra: Alfred keeps repeating his name and ID number when in the custody of the SS, even and especially under torture. Under the Geneva convention, it's the only information he is required to give.
- My Country, Right or Wrong: Ludwig initially believes this, but his love for Feliciano and the growing obviousness that he's working for the bad guys make him evolve.Ludwig: Sir, I used to live and breathe for my country. Now I do it for him.
- Only Known by Their Nickname : Roma. His real name is Augustus, but he doesn't let anyone call him that.
- Raised by Grandparents: Feliciano and Lovino by Roma and Ludwig and Gilbert by Aldrich.
- Red Baron: Sadiq is never once referred to by his name in the series. He is only known as the Turk.
- Similarly, Antonio is known as Spaniard by the Resistanza.
- Retired Badass: Roma, the youngest commanding officer of the Italian army, who followed the Call to Agriculture after WWI ended. The badassery quickly came out of retirement when the Germans invaded his country, however.
- Years after WWII ends, all of the characters involved are more or less this.
- Seinfeldian Conversation: Somewhat in Lily of the Lamplight in this conversation:Feliks: I was in a combat unit, you know. I can change that barrel in four seconds flat.Berwald: Four s'conds?Feliks: Four seconds.Berwald: Never seen one loaded under six.Feliks: Yeah, well, you were fighting in Finland and it's so cold up there.
- Though the above conversation may be a Chekhov's Gun as it is suggested that Berwald is referring to Tino
- Taking You with Me: Ludwig plans to do this to Alfred after being shot, but doesn't succeed.
- The Unfavorite: Lovino, as opposed to Feliciano, to everyone he's ever met and especially his grandfather. While Roma clearly doesn't dislike him as he thinks he does, he also doesn't deny that he likes Feli more.
- Took a Level in Badass:
- Feliciano when he tries to free Ludwig.
- Implied to be the case with Lovino.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Alfred and, to an extent, Feliciano.
