#I've just had WAY too many experiences with liushen shippers that are avidly anti-bingqiu so now I have a grudge

[violetdisasterzone]

I just finished rereading the succubus extra, and I'm reminded of some thoughts I had after reading it the first time. The first time I read the novel (including all the extras), I hadn't really been in/around fandom spaces yet, so I was very surprised to learn that people shipped Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge. And since this extra is prime source material for that ship (apparently), I want to talk about it. First of all, I really enjoy this chapter. It contains the scene where we find out bingqiu are fated! soulmates! deeply in love! And this is immediately followed by Shen Qingqiu kicking Liu Qingge into a rose pond. It's priceless.

I've seen Madam Meiyin's fortune be interpreted by liushen shippers as describing Liu Qingge rather than Luo Binghe, so let's unpack why that doesn't make sense. The very first thing she says is that his fated one is younger than him - Liu Qingge is (at this point in the novel, prior to the 5 year nap) already around 15 years older than him. If this was connected to the age of his body (i.e., Shen Jiu), however, this one could be plausible; considering Madam Meiyin first sees the broken thread of either Yue Qi or Qiu Haitang, she could very well be referring to Shen Jiu's age. Liu Qingge also doesn't have the "noble blood" Madam Meiyin describes- or if he does, it's never mentioned in canon. Then, of course, we get Liu Qingge adamantly insisting that this mysterious fated one isn't "deeply in love" with Shen Qingqiu. I've seen people say that this is Liu Qingge being tsundere and denying his romantic feelings, but if he was that deep in denial why would he assume that he was the fated one being discussed at all? And finally, we end the scene with Madam Meiyin saying to his face, "You aren't his fated partner."

In my personal opinion, I think Liu Qingge realized who Madam Meiyin was actually referring to in her divinations. There are very few people who fit that description, and he would be one of the few people who have been around Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe enough to see first hand how close they were, pre-abyss. Of course, Binghe is supposedly "dead" right now, as far as Liu Qingge knows - maybe he would have assumed Madam Meiyin couldn't know/see that. Or maybe I'm pulling this interpretation out of my ass. One of the two.

In regards to the repressed sexual frustration that many people view Liu Qingge as having: whether or not you interpret his character as asexual is a personal choice, as when asked directly he did avoid the question, so neither opinion can be canonically incorrect. With how unaffected he was during the fight with the naked succubi, it's logical to assume that he's either ace or gay. But then when he's hit with the aphrodisiac, he becomes visibly distressed and asks Shen Qingqiu to help - by allowing him to beat him up to vent his irritation.

So aside from liushen necessitating a wild misinterpretation of Shen Qingqiu's character and an outright slap to the face of Luo Binghe's entire existence in the narrative, I also think it does Liu Qingge a disservice. Faced with a soulmate divination of the person he would hypothetically want romantically and he adamantly denies the love part? Literally drugged with sex mist, is offered assistance, and he wants to fight him? This doesn't read to me like he's out of touch with his emotions to a herculean extent - it just reads like he doesn't want that.

#liushen shippers this post is obviously not for you #ship what you want #it's none of my business #I've just had WAY too many experiences with liushen shippers that are avidly anti-bingqiu so now I have a grudge #bingqiu #svsss #svsss meta #mxtx #人渣反派自救系统 #scum villains self saving system #liu qingge #柳清歌