#countryhumans survival guide

[maurmaurii]

CH survival guide: Shipping

Hello fellow countryhumans fan!

Whether you’re a brand-new fan or a hardened veteran, you’ve most likely come across a “ship.”

(You probably already know this, but in case you don’t, here are quick definitions:

• a “ship” is a shorter way of saying “relationship”

• “shipping” refers to the practice of creating these relationships

• “shippers” is used to refer to people that indulge in shipping)

Now, with that out of the way, you might be wondering; what the hell does this have to do with anything? That’s what I’m here to discuss.

Countryhumans is a wacky fandom, this is no secret. The wackiness comes from the lack of “true canon”. CH is not based off any TV show, movie series, book, or anything of the matter. The only “canon” is history, and even then, history can change depending who you ask. Therefore, almost everything you see coming out of this fandom is essentially HEADCANONS, because there’s no such thing as canon in this hellhole.

However, the lack of canon doesn’t mean you can do whatever the hell you want, no. These are still countries, personified as they may be. So, here are a few rules/guidelines that I would recommend you to follow.

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No.1: KEEP SOME HISTORICAL ACCURACY

• It doesn’t make sense to ship two countries that have no connections whatsoever.

• This also includes tensions, rivalries, and conflicts, which I will go more in-depth on for number 2.

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No.2: BE MINDFUL OF SITUATIONS

• This refers to tensions and conflicts of their time. With these situations, countries should NOT be shipped.

Some modern examples of ships that should not sail:

• Israel and Palestine

• Russia and America

• Romania and Hungary

Some historical examples of ships that should not sail:

• Soviet Union and America

• United Kingdom and Soviet Union

• Soviet Union and Third Reich*

(NOTE: It is possible at the start of wwii, BUT before you start celebrating, I need you to read number 3!)

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No.3: DYNAMICS!!!!!!!!!

• This is one I don’t see talked about very often, so it’s especially important that you listen, because the dynamics of a ship can absolutely affect how good or bad it is.

• This means keeping things realistic to the characters and their situation, which ties in with no.1 AND no.2. Think to yourself: “Would these two ACTUALLY be an ‘uwu soft boy x big strong man’ type of relationship?” Because 99.998% of the time, the answer is “ABSOLUTELY NOT, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU OH MY G-”

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SO, HOW DO I APPLY THIS?

Well, here are some questions you can ask yourself that apply to these guidelines.

• “Would they know each other?”

• “Do they have a friendly/non-hostile relationship in this time period?”

• “Is their dynamic realistic?”

If you can say yes to all of these questions, then you’re probably good to go!

BUT…

A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER:

• Some people will not ship the same things you do; and that’s completely OK! Some people don’t like shipping AT ALL; and that’s also completely OK! Certain ships, or shipping as a whole, might not be for them.

• Remember to BE RESPECTFUL; don’t attack anyone if they have different opinions or preferences.

• Most of this stuff won’t affect you much IRL! Digital footprint might be real, but employers and colleges won’t really care if you post cringey art or fanfics. A LOT of other people have posted similar things, if not worse. So, unless you posted something REALLY depraved (I’m talking borderline/full on criminal shit), you’ll probably be just fine if you use another email or phone number for your school/work.

With all this being said, have a wonderful day/night!