Wings of Love: Ship Opinions

Qinter

"See, I'm your destiny!"

⤜⤏

For those who didn't pick it up (I didn't when I first heard the name), this is Winter x Qibli. I have concluded that this is the only solution to the Winterwatcher vs. Moonbli war.

It gets a lot less hate than Umbli, mostly because it's so unheard-of that by the time most people find out about it they've gotten past the "BUt gAyS cAn'T bE iN ChILDreN's bOoKs!" phase. It has a decent amount of fanart, though I've yet to see a fic about them.

All in all, I don't think it's a bad ship. Qibli could very easily be bi or pan (refer to the time he twined tails with Umber and hugged him, and the 522845049305 times he flirts with Winter in the books). And since we don't know that Winter's straight, he could very easily date a guy. Qibli would be a good counter to his hostility, too. They also come from a similar background, family-wise.

But - and this is the big but - I don't really want to see them as a ship. I think that ultimately, Winter needs a friend far more than he needs a lover. He's been through a lot and still has a few things to work through, and he'd deal with these far better with Qibli at his side as a friend. Lovers and friends are very different. Romantic relationships are stressful; it's all about reciprocation and mutual benefit. Friendship is unconditional, and there's no pressure to do any particular thing. There's nothing expected of friends, except just being there. That's what Winter needs: someone to help him without expecting something in return.

... which Qibli can't be if he's a lover.

They would work together, but I don't think it'd be best for Winter (or, for that matter, for Qibli). There's better dragons around for both of them. I do have some pretty good headcanons for this ship though, and wouldn't mind if they did somehow end up canon.

6/10.