Homophobia in Haixing

[extrapenguin]

If I were to write a Guardian fic the point of which was something completely unrelated to homophobia, but which ended with Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan getting a happily ever after, what level of societal homophobia would not throw you out of the story? Would you find it jarring if they dared hold hands in public? If they dared kiss? If they introduced each other as romantic partners in casual-ish conversation without too much euphemism? Their nearest and dearest would know, and marriage wouldn't be on the table anyway, but ... what is the range of attitudes that wouldn't have the readership's suspension of disbelief come crashing down?

On the one hand, I want this to be happily-ever-after dancing on roses without a cloud in sight; on the other, a lot of the relationship developments of canon make more sense if Haixing is at least somewhat homophobic. So: advice?

Comments

[extrapenguin]

I know different cultures have different standards of acceptable PDA and physical contact. Every Chinese person I've met, as well as the Guardian characters, have been super touchy-feely from my POV. Yes, even Shen Wei. (Finns stand at least a meter away from each other and avoid physical contact if at all possible. Yes, even married couples. The fact that my parents once held hands in public was Shocking to a large amount of my classmates and their parents.)

The only PDAs I can remember are between the married grocer couple, and that's more fussing over than being romantic, and maybe Ji Xiaobai and Zhou Weiwei at the wedding dress shop(?)
I'd have to rewatch, but I'm pretty sure Da Ji was clingier in a very PDA way. Unless we have different definitions of PDA? (See above about Finland being the antithesis of touchy-feely.) I'm not speaking about stuffing a tongue down the other's throat in the middle of the street; I'm talking about extending their canonical touchiness to hand-holding and have-a-nice-day kisses.

Based on what we see and gut feeling, I'd say public hand-holding is a form of PDA acceptable for the average (committed if not necessarily engaged) het couple, even if it would count as, well, noticeable PDA. Additionally, there's the question of what Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei would do in semi-private spaces (locked offices, an empty SID HQ) and in liminal spaces (doorways), which aren't quite public but which aren't quite private either, and the answer to the question depends a lot on the level of homophobia in the setting.

[china_shop]

Everything's relative. :-)

I'd have to rewatch, but I'm pretty sure Da Ji was clingier in a very PDA way.

Oh, yes! Good catch. (IIRC, I found that really uncomfortable to watch because Da Qing didn't seem to be into it and everyone else was laughing at his discomfort.)