Hetastuck: Land of Rime and Aegis [Canada]

Land Theme: “Frozen Landscape” ~ FF7 Voices of the Lifestream

I always had a general idea of what I wanted Canada’s Land to look like, but boy howdy, that name gave me a LOT of trouble.

LORAA is a frozen tundra, blanketed by clouds and fog most of the time, with frequent snowstorms and blizzards. Pine forests dot the snowy, mountainous landscape, and small communities of beavers have sprung up outside them, building their villages over the frozen rivers that crisscross the land. The consorts regularly venture into the forests for wood and supplies, but prefer to live within the shelter of their dam villages on the rivers, which are encased within shields made of geothermic energy harnessed from the volcanic rivers running throughout the planet’s crust.

“Rime” is another word for frost. Some northern areas of Canada only have a couple months out of the year that the ground doesn’t freeze over. “Aegis” means protection or support, taken from the name of the shield (or buckler or breastplate, accounts vary) of both Athena and Zeus from Greek mythology. I thought this fit for a number of reasons, primarily because of Canada’s role in world politics before it gained full independence in 1982 (and even then, it’s still part of the British Commonwealth). Even though it was technically self-governing, Canada still answered to the British crown as its political ruler. I also thought the word fit because of Canada’s support to Britain and other select countries over the years, both in war and in politics. Doom is also about systems and rules, and rules are (usually) made to protect others. Lastly, it is a reference both to the planet’s copious amounts of cloud and fog cover and the energy shields the consorts use.

Homestuck © Andrew Hussie
Hetalia © Himaruya Hidakez