"They're just friends"

I wanted to say this in a more eloquent manner, but for now this should be okay. If someone posts this on tumblr I'll be very grateful.

There's a common divide within fandoms where a main duo or two characters are queer-coded. Some wish for a canonical relationship. Some argue that 'you can't ship them, they're only friends.'

In return, the other side proclaims, 'Sure. They sacrificed their lives and dedicated themselves to each other because they're friends.'

Can't they?

Can't friends sacrifice themselves for each other? Can't friends love each other more than life itself. Them not having romance doesn't reduce their love for each other... if anything, the unorthodox nature (in fiction) of deep affection in friendships, to the point where the 'romantic undertones' only add to their platonic fluffiness, it's quite beautiful honestly.

I would like to add a context with my personal lens, not to discount my point, but to allow those with other sexualities to bring more conversation to the table.

I'm on the aroace spectrum. (and more spectru-) Specifically, I'm demiromantic, aroflux and had a queer platonic relationship that was one of the most special parts of my life. I want to see more relationships in that gray area between romantic and platonic, not putting romance in this pedestal - 'more than friends'. Relationships of all sorts. Please.

Not that I necessarily agree with the ones that tell everyone that the duo cannot be romantically shipped. They don't have to be demeaning to make a point... there's no point there other than making other arguments null. There's nothing left in the crossfire.

I'm not saying to romantically ship less. I'm saying that shipping refers to relationship. Let's explore all the different types and not just limit ourselves to romance.

For example:

Yes, I understand and like the ship. Yes, I think they're fun as the prankster duo that everyone else hates. Yes, they can be the friends that never leave each other's side. They can be the only ones who can understand the loneliness of being the strongest from their respective backgrounds. They can be the most important people in each other's life, the 'one and only', where there's no expectations of flowers and kisses and dates, rather a togetherness at whatever life throws at them... to a certain extent. One can mourn a friend - a comfort person, a person who softened the world's jagged edges - for a decade, more, their entire life.

And on the note of expectations... was that not part of the reason (other than the wonderful world of representation) we gravitate towards queer ships? Where the expectations and the norms of 'some guy sweeping a smitten girl off her feet' something we threw to the wind when we explore the nuances of relationships? Do queer ships not offer us the respite of togetherness despite society telling us to fit in these boxes?

Aren't strong non-romantic relationships the most queer thing we can have?

Okay now I'll get to my interpretation of shiguang.

I.... fluctuate. I have a cycle of different ways to view them. (Currently its teetering between romantic and queer platonic and before that it was friends and before that....). There's no wrong way to ship them. Any sort of relationship. They can be each other's comfort person, the neurodivergent salvation and comfort and joy they feel around each other. They can be romantically shipped. There's plenty of fanart. I enjoy it. It's fun. They can also be queer platonic... and honestly with the manhua.... it has a lot of cannon content supporting that. Cheng Xiaoshi can be aroace (as in he was confused with Chen Xiao and Xu Shanshan's crushes because he never felt like they did.), and that doesn't diminish his love for Lu Guang. The way Cheng Xiaoshi unmasks and is valuable - his hyper empathetic, scared, child self. The way Lu Guang finds genuine joy when seeing Cheng Xiaoshi happy and safe, to the point where he would break time just to have him back. The way they both understand the desire to keep loved ones safe, close, to never be lost in the dark without them.

'You're telling me that that Lu Guang broke time and space for his business partner. You're telling me Cheng Xiaoshi calls Lu Guang handsome and clings to him all the time because they're friends. You're telling me they'd both promise to spend their life with each other because they're 'just platonic''

Yes. Yes and no.

You all legitimately sound like my mother when she says 'friends will never be there for you. they're just there for information, when you need them, because everyone is with their own families'. I don't love the subtext peoples.

They're life partners in every sense of the word. Every sense.

Please show me more types of relationships in your shipping. I'll be with you all and we'll have all the fiction fluffy fun in the world.

(We truly have the worst words for friends. Give me all the beautiful poetry and metaphors and everything everything about them too.)