#4.) the way that Bingqiu literally solves the plot is unsatisfying to me because it's external rather than internal

[questionable-decision]

I agree with your opinion on LBH! Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of respect for MXTX, but the way SQQ and LBH's relationship was written, even in the extras, was horrible. It'd be one thing if that was the point, but SQQ still leaves CQM for him, still sleeps with him, still marries him, etc... and none of this is really treated as a bad thing despite everything. You can only blame Xin Mo so much. And I know it's a danmei, but since the story is all about subverting tropes anyway, I think I would've much preferred it if LBH had actually left on a sort of journey of self-discovery, only to return maybe months or even years later sometime in the extras and see where his relationship with SQQ goes from there before eventually marrying him.

Listen I received this ask ages ago and really debated whether or not I was going to post it and go into my 3-4 big problems with Bingqiu and then inevitably have to follow it up with "but I like LBH" and "Listen, I'm okay with Bingqiu if it's funny but as a serious ship...I have opinions" but I did not want to get into a Debate just yet.

Suffice to say: I agree with you! There are a lot of problems that can't really be excused. Also you saying you think LBH should go on a journey of self-discovery also changed how I decided to frame LBH's arc at the end of my Laments of a Sellout Author fic so THANK YOU! And I agree that it would have been a good solution! Like them getting together and LBH getting over everything happens so fast, there's no build up, and so much of that fast pace serves as a kind of "punishment" for Shen Yuan. Because that's the subversion, he turns the harem guy gay and now he has to deal with it hahahaha (sarcasm). But like, (and I said I wouldn't get INTO IT but....) that's one of the things that I thought could have been handled better. I understood the choice that MXTX made (which I think many people don't) but I think it could have been done differently. Like even just a time skip where SQQ at the end promises to wait for him and we skip to 2 years later at least acknowledging LBH did SOMETHING for his own mental health or whatever. It could have been integrated.

The other thing is that people will be like "oh, so a ship has to be healthy for you to ship it?!" like, for me? Unless both people are evil, like, yeah. But that's me. You can dislike a ship for a lot of reasons. For MDZS I'm not a huge fan of Wen Qing/Jiang Cheng for no real reason. I don't think anything negative or positive of the people who ship it, I just don't see it. No one would say that me not shipping that is a comment on the shippers.

In general, if a person is saying "I don't like this ship" that's not the same as saying "YOU can't like the ship." But if someone is going to say "freedom of speech" applies to shipping (🙄) then it also applies to criticism of that ship. So for me, I like the dynamics of serious ships to be more equal and less creepy. If you don't, okay! You're free to talk about that but you don't need to come to ME and act like I'm stopping you from doing anything. Anyway: Bingqiu is funny though. You have to give it that.