Alicorn,
First of all, thanks for taking the time to give an in-depth response.
I personally have misgivings similar to those expressed by HonoreDB, insofar as it seems that although the fantastical elements of the story do 'justify' the situation in a sense, they appear to be designed to do so.
I felt that these sort of plot devices were essentially a post hoc excuse to perpetuate a sort of knight-in-shining-armor dynamic in order to tantalize a somewhat young and ideologically vulnerable audience in the interest of turning a quick buck.
Then again, I may be being somewhat oversensitive, or I may be letting my external biases (I personally don't care for the young adult fantasy genre) cloud my judgment.
I've often had half-finished LW post ideas and crossed them off for a number of reasons, mostly they were too rough or undeveloped and I didn't feel expert enough. Other people might worry their post would be judged harshly, or feel overwhelmed, or worried about topicality, or they just want some community input before adding it.
So: this is a special sort of open thread. Please post your unfinished ideas and sketches for LW posts here as comments, if you would like constructive critique, assistance and checking from people with more expertise, etc. Just pile them in without worrying too much. Ideas can be as short as a single sentence or as long as a finished post. Both subject and presentation are on topic in replies. Bad ideas should be mined for whatever good can be found in them. Good ideas should be poked with challenges to make them stronger. No being nasty!