#Japanese monarchy

[tiny-librarian]

Prince Hisahito, second in line to Japan's Chrysanthemum Throne, turned 18 on Friday, becoming the first male imperial family member to reach adulthood in about 39 years, highlighting the dwindling number of heirs to the world's oldest monarchy, Kyodo News reported.

The prince, nephew of Emperor Naruhito and son of Crown Prince Fumihito, joins a shrinking pool of adult royals as Japan's Imperial House Law restricts succession to males and requires female members to relinquish their titles upon marrying commoners.

"I aspire to grow through diverse experiences, absorbing various perspectives along the way," Prince Hisahito said in a statement released by the Imperial Household Agency, Japan's royal administrative body.

The prince's coming-of-age ceremony will be delayed until spring 2025 or later to avoid interfering with his studies at a Tokyo high school affiliated with the University of Tsukuba, the agency said.

With only three eligible heirs - Crown Prince Fumihito, Prince Hisahito, and the emperor's 88-year-old uncle Prince Hitachi - concerns about the imperial family's future have resurfaced. Previous attempts to reform succession rules, including proposals to allow female monarchs or retain women in the family after marriage, have stalled in recent years.

Prince Hisahito, known for his interest in natural history, co-authored an academic paper on dragonflies last year. The agency said he is "studying hard" to enter a university aligned with his interests while gradually taking on more royal duties.

The total number of imperial family members now stands at 17, with 12 being women, underscoring the challenges facing Japan's royal institution as it navigates tradition and modernization in the 21st century.

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[royal-confessions]

“I don't think people including me realize how much patriarchy was and is embedded in royal families+society. The fact that Belgium is gonna have its first ever monarch when Elisabeth succeeds and that Leonor becoming heir presumptive simply cause she has no brothers so basically just fate and not the constitution making this decision speaks volumes. Not to mention Ingrid being a female queen after 500+years in Norway. Not even gonna mention the japanese rf cause they take the cake here.” - Submitted by Anonymous

[laundrybiscuits]

Hey hey adoring battleship move incoming, so how about: 16 for that Spotify prompt? Hope life (the move? There was talk about a move I think?) Is treating you well!

can you tell I’ve been posing / this way alone for hours / waiting for your affection / waiting for you

Steve had still been feeling pretty stupid until maybe five or ten minutes ago. He’s not sure exactly what happened, but something had shifted right around the time he’d realized it was too late to get everything untied and put away before Eddie was due back. Even if he changes his mind right now, he won’t have enough time to hide the evidence. There’s no backing out of this anymore.

It’s not his usual kind of thing. None of this is. He doesn’t do any of this, normally.

But someone had donated a bag of VHS tapes to the library, and Steve got assigned to go through them, and there had been one—

It hadn’t looked that difficult, and he’d told himself he was just curious. He’s always been good with his hands, so how tough could some knots be? 

Pretty tough, as it turns out, but manageable. He works through the basic ties pretty quickly, and he’s still flexible enough to do a lot of it himself, even though the video is very clearly meant for someone to do on someone else. 

The idea is…not unappealing. As he works through securing his ankles in a messy double-column tie, it’s easy to start thinking about what it might be like to loop the rope around someone’s wrists and pull it snug. Yeah, he could see why people might like that kind of thing. It takes a lot of trust, right? There’s no way to laugh it off, when someone hands you that kind of control. It’d be exactly like saying I can take it, I want to take it. Whatever you want to give me. 

And that’s when he gets the idea.

It takes a little more preparation and a shopping trip, because he can already tell that the random stuff he’s been using to try different knots isn’t going to be comfortable enough for what he’s planning. Plus, he likes the idea of getting something that’ll look good on his skin. Something that makes people want to touch.

By this point, he’s stopped pretending that this is anything other than what it is: a hail-mary, last-ditch attempt to get Eddie Munson’s hands on him again. 

He doesn’t try for anything too advanced, just the easiest harness on the tape and a frog tie holding his legs into a kneeling position. He practices the whole thing all together a couple times and it seems to go okay. He wastes some rope early on when he fucks up a knot so bad he has to shuffle all the way to the kitchen and grab some scissors to cut it, but it’s fine, he’d bought enough silky blue rope to tie a dozen harnesses at once. It had been way too expensive for freaking rope, but it had looked so much better than the hemp that he’d handed over the cash without a second thought. 

He doesn’t try cuffs or a collar. It’s not—the cuffs feel okay, actually; the rope is soft and snug, and he can glance down any time and see how good the blue looks looped around his wrists. But he struggles to get them tied evenly when he’s one-handed, and he doesn’t want it to look sloppy. 

Eddie likes effort. It’s a weird thing to notice about a friend, even a friend you might’ve hooked up with a couple times. It’s pretty obvious, though; Steve watched him run a game for the kids once, and promptly decided never to watch again. 

Eddie throws all of himself into the game, all the time. It’s so much work. Steve’s seen the pages and pages of notes he keeps in his ragged binders, the way he commits to acting out all the different characters even when he sounds objectively dumb, how he gets so caught up in the moment that he’ll climb up on the goddamn table. Eddie never holds back.

He demands a lot from his players, too. They can fail. But even in that one game that Steve watched, it was obvious that Eddie doesn’t want them to fail; he just wants them to win while struggling against the toughest possible challenge. He wants to find their limits, and then push just a little to find their real limits. 

Nothing’s happened with Eddie since before Steve saw that stupid game, but now it’s all mixed up in his head. He keeps thinking about how Eddie had crowded close, hands hovering and light, darting in and then away again; he keeps thinking about what it would be like to hear Eddie’s voice sound the way it does when he’s telling his players off, firm and deep, as he put his hands wherever he wanted on Steve. 

So that’s what Steve’s been thinking about lately. 

And it’s why he’s here on Eddie’s bed, frog-tied and wearing a rope harness that he wishes he’d done a little fancier, because he thinks Eddie would appreciate that. Every time he’s tried a fancier harness it’s gone wrong or looked weird, though, so this will have to do. He hopes it’s enough. 

He’s not worried about it, exactly, because all of that stuff seems far away and smoothed over right now. He can remember worrying about a bunch of stuff, like whether he should be wearing clothes or not. He’d settled on just underwear because it had seemed a little too vulnerable to go without, but now that he’s all settled and feeling pretty good, he thinks that was a dumb thing to worry about.

Despite the weird way Eddie’s been avoiding him lately, Eddie had really seemed to like his dick at least twice before, so even if it’s not anything more for Eddie—even if dick is the only thing Eddie wants from Steve—he should get to have it. Eddie should get whatever he wants.

Steve shuts his eyes. He fills his lungs all the way, feeling the harness grip him a little tighter, and he exhales slowly.

He waits for the door to open.

Send me a number between 1-100 and I'll write a ficlet based on the corresponding song from my Spotify Wrapped! It will definitely be gay and may possibly be musical theater

[maester-of-spreadsheets]

absolutely mesmerized by the worldbuilding in to gaze upon wicked gods and not in a good way

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Monarchy was, for the English, not a form of political power, but a work of the imagination, an attempt to represent in the here and now all those mysterious ideas of authority and historical right without which no place on earth could be settled as home.

- Sir Roger Scruton

In October 1971 Emperor Hirohito and his wife arrived in Britain for their historic three day state visit. HRH Queen Elizabeth II hosted a state dinner at Buckingham Palace.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

By Justin McCurry in Osaka

1 Apr 2024

1 April 2024

[humanrinds]

every time there’s some bullshit going on about the royal family i wonder if other monarchies have to deal with bullshit like this

[himbo]

I know RGU is a fave here but it's about patriarchy/gender/sexism, none of which were listed...

[tenrose]

The recent events reminded me that I do own a french steampunk-ish uchronia taking under a French/Japanese monarchical system, with fairies obviousl, taking place in Paris.

[tiny-librarian]

Japanese Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, turned 22 on Friday, as she is leading a busy and fulfilling university life.

The princess is currently in her final year at the Faculty of Letters at Gakushuin University in Tokyo. After pandemic-related restrictions were lifted in the country, in-person classes resumed for many courses at her university.

She started to attend classes on campus this spring. Based on literature from Japan's Heian, Kamakura, Edo and Meiji periods, she is working on her graduation thesis. Meanwhile, the princess enjoyed the university's school festival in November, according to the Imperial Household Agency.

In addition to Japan's traditional culture, the princess is interested in welfare activities. In October, she and her parents visited the headquarters of the Japanese Red Cross Society to see a special exhibition on relief activities following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.

She also looked around the permanent exhibition there and seemed to be impressed by the involvement of Empress Dowager Shoken, the wife of Emperor Meiji, in the early years of the organization's activities.

Source

[max1461]

It's gonna bug me so much when, probably in the next couple decades, Japanese Imperial Household Law changes to allow women to ascend to the throne again and the Western media breathlessly reports that ultraconservative Japan is finally getting with the times...

In actuality Japan has had 8 empress regnants (that is, empresses who actually ruled, as opposed to just being the wife of an emperor; not to be confused with "empress regent" which is something else), including one empress who succeeded another empress (Empress Genshō following Empress Genmei) in a matrilineal fashion. Obviously this isn't great as far as gender equality goes, but it's basically comparable to European monarchies—in fact it's the same number of female monarchs as England has had in roughly the same span of time, given that the pre-Asuka emperors are more or less legendary. There's actually another empress, empress regent Jingū, if you want to count legendary figures. She may or may not be the same person as Queen Himiko of early Sino-Japanese records.

It's maybe worth noting also that the Chrysanthemum Throne has been a basically ceremonial position for most of Japanese history, from the 12th century until today, with the brief exception of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. But most of Japan's empresses reigned during the Asuka and Nara periods (6th to 8th centuries), when the monarchs were actually politically in power. In fact, during the Nara period just about every other reign was that of an empress.

Anyway, male-only succession and strict patrilineality weren't enshrined in law until the Imperial House Law of 1889 during the Meiji period, as part of the Prussian-influenced Meiji constitution. Certainly both principles had been strong norms prior to this, but they weren't legally enshrined. There's not any sense in which it would be unprecedented for Japan to have an empress, certainly no less precedented than for England to have a queen.

But it's Japan, right? They're uber traditional over there *katana sound effect* *kabuki YOOO sound effect* *salaryman bowing to his stern looking boss stock footage*. So obviously they're behind the enlightened west...

[city-of-ladies]

Genmei (661-721) was Japan's fourth empress regnant. She was Empress Jitō's half-sister and her match in terms of ambition and political skills. Her rule was characterized by a development of culture and innovations. 

Ruling after her son

Like Jitō (645-703), Genmei was the daughter of Emperor Tenji but was born from a different mother. Jitō was both her half-sister and mother-in-law since Genmei had married the empress’ son, Prince Kusakabe (662-689). She had a son with him, Emperor Monmu (683-707). 

Kusakabe died early and never reigned, which led to Jitō's enthronement. The empress was then succeeded by her grandson Monmu. The latter’s reign was short. In his last will, he called for his mother to succeed him in accordance with the “immutable law” of her father Tenji. Genmei accepted. 

Steadfast and ambitious 

Genmei was made from the same mold as her half-sister. She proved to be a fearless sovereign, undeterred by military crises. 

She pursued Jitō's policies, strengthening the central administration and keeping the power in imperial hands. Among her decisions were the proscription of runaway peasants and the restriction of private ownership of mountain and field properties by the nobility and Buddhist temples. 

Another of her achievements was transferring the capital at Heijō-kyō (Nara) in 710, turning it into an unprecedented cultural and political center. Her rule saw many innovations. Among them were the first attempt to replace the barter system with the Wadō copper coins, new techniques for making brocade twills and dyeing and the settlement of experimental dairy farmers.

A protector of culture

Genmei sponsored many cultural projects. The first was the Kojiki, written in 712 it told Japan’s history from mythological origins to the current rulers. In its preface, the editor Ō no Yasumaro praised the empress:

“Her Imperial Majesty…illumines the univers…Ruling in the Purple Pavillion, her virtue extends to the limit of the horses’ hoof-prints…It must be saif that her fame is greater than that of Emperor Yü and her virtue surpasses that of Emperor Tang (legendary emperors of China)”.

In 713, she ordered the local governments to collect local legends and oral traditions as well as information about the soil, weather, products and geological and zoological features. Those local gazetteers (Fudoki) were an invaluable source of Japan’s ancient tradition.

Several of Genmei’s poems are included in the Man'yōshū anthology, including a reply by one of the court ladies. 

Listen to the sounds of the warriors' elbow-guards;

Our captain must be ranging the shields to drill the troops.

– Genmei Tennō

Reply:

Be not concerned, O my Sovereign;

Am I not here,

I, whom the ancestral gods endowed with life,

Next of kin to yourself

– Minabe-hime

From mother to daughter 

Genmei abdicated in 715 and passed the throne to her daughter, empress Genshō (680-748) instead of her sickly grandson prince Obito. This was an unprecedented situation, making the Nara period the pinnacle of female monarchy in Japan. 

Genmei would oversee state affairs until she died in 721. Before her death, she shaved her head and became a nun, becoming the first Japanese monarch to take Buddhist vows and establishing a long tradition.

Feel free to check out my Ko-Fi if you like what I do! Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Further reading

Shillony Ben-Ami, Enigma of the Emperors Sacred Subservience in Japanese History

Tsurumi Patricia E., “Japan’s early female emperors”

Aoki Michiko Y., "Jitō Tennō, the female sovereign",in: Mulhern Chieko Irie (ed.), Heroic with grace legendary women of Japan

[pocketseizure]

A Record of the Calamity

This collection of meta essays explores the worldbuilding and cultural background of Hyrule and its inhabitants during the timeline of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Ninja Lore in Breath of the Wild On the historical precedents of the Sheikah, the origins of the names "Yiga" and "Kohga," and how the culture of historical ninja is referenced in the story and setting of Breath of the Wild.

Governance in Hyrule On the nature and questionable necessity of the Hyrulean monarchy in comparison with other systems of governance in Hyrule.

Zelda and the Calamity On how Zelda's repressed emotions may have surfaced in a tragic explosion of chaotic power.

Ganondorf as an Agent of Change On Ganondorf’s role as the villain of a heroic fantasy, the existential challenge he poses to Hyrule, and the necessity of disruption to an otherwise closed system.

Ganondorf’s Design in Tears of the Kingdom On the Japanese cultural references incorporated into Ganondorf’s visual design.

The Two Kings in Tears of the Kingdom On the fantasies of Japanese cultural identity represented by Rauru and Ganondorf, and why the power structures associated with the two kings are disavowed by Zelda.

[tanadrin]

I know there are only so many ways to phrase the insight "Tsar Nicholas II has no idea what he was doing" in a way that makes it interesting, but I do wonder what the endgame of Nicholas and the reactionaries really was in Russia in the 1900s and 1910s. Let's say he's right about everything: let's say orthodoxy, autocracy, and nationality can work as an ideology, that the Tsarist state isn't a creaking old half-rotted machine that has embarrassingly poor capacity (and stops abruptly above the local level relevant to 75% of the population), let's say all your loyal-but-reformist-ministers like Witte and Stolypin are wrong, conditions are fine, this agitation really is the pernicious influence of foreigners and Jews, and "true Russians" (whatever that means) really do love you.

You still got your ass kicked by the Japanese, you still rule a country which is embarrassingly poor given its size and population, your tiny middle class still has very little capital to invest in industry because all the surplus is getting hoovered up by your nobles and you, personally. Russia, as a military and economic engine to which your family's fortunes are irrevocably yoked (unless you abdicate and go into exile, which we all know you won't), is still well behind other European great powers, and the next big war you fight against a peer nation is going to go even worse than the one with Japan, if it happens in your backyard--which is inevitable, because you are playing great power politics like you are the German Kaiser, and not the Russian Tsar.

So what is your endgame? Stagnate forever? I guess this is demanding too much from a man who genuinely thought God was on his side, who was totally out of touch with the events of the day, and whose interest in the affairs of state far outstripped his understanding of those affairs. But there were a lot of reactionaries in Russia in those days, who seemed to share Nicholas's passion for stasis and autocracy. And no matter how many anti-semitic conspiracies you fund in occupied Poland, it's not gonna keep the Prussians at bay come 1914! And it's not like he didn't have a ton of loyal ministers who were 1000% on board with a strong monarchy and who also had clever ideas on how to improve state capacity and expand industry.

[inky-duchess]

Fantasy Guide to A Coronation

Coronations are the ceremony in which your monarch is confirmed by church or state or the people by the bestowing of a crown and regalia and the taking of oaths. So how do we write them?

When does Coronation takes place?

A Coronation usually takes place some time after death of the previous monarch. Past coronations would take place mere weeks after the death of a monarch as it was essential that the monarch be crowned to confirm their legitimacy. Modern coronations would take place months after the death of a monarch. In this time period, the new monarch IS the monarch - just uncrowned. This does not effect their powers in any way.

What’s in a Coronation?

Coronations are usually very lavish affairs. These are not only just ceremonies, these are statements a sort of opening show to the monarch's reign. A Coronation will usually be accompanied by numerous parades, balls, pageants, military displays and concerts. It's usually framed as a celebration of the Royal family of the monarch or the nation as a whole. The population is expected to celebrate.

Who attends a Coronation?

Coronations were big affairs. Many invitations would be sent out, inviting representatives from other nations, friends and allies, even uncertain friends and unfriendly nations. Other monarchs are generally not invited out of tradition but they will send heirs and relatives to represent them. Coronations were a display of wealth and power and it was in the monarch's best interest to get as many people there as possible. Coronations were also essential to monarchy for one very good reason: not only were you recognised by the state but it was a chance to accept fealty - promises of loyalty - from nobles. Many nobles from across the land would be invited to witness and then profess their loyalty to the Monarch.

What to Wear to a Coronation?

Coronations were meant to be pageants so everybody wore their very best clothes, jewels and put their best foot forward. Peers or nobles would wear red velvet robes (see above) over their clothes along with coronets (also see above) denoting rank. Traditional clothing would also be encouraged, the Japanese Imperial family often don traditional garments for their enthronements. The Royal family would wear military uniform or royal robes usually purple velvet rather than red trimmed with ermine. They would also wear coronets. The monarch would usually be the most expensive dressed, yet however this can also backfire. The monarch has to be modest yet also outdone everybody. George IV made the grave faux pas of spending a shit ton of money on his outfit for the coronation which he only wore the once. Most monarchs tend to have their Robes and clothes embroidered with emblems of the nation and to wear significant relics during the ceremony.

The Ceremony

After a procession through the streets the monarch and/or their Consort arrive on the scene. They will be wrapped in red velvet Robes on their arrival and accompanied by pages or maids of honour who help carry the train of their Robes.

Before the monarch, selected peers will carry the regalia. These are the relics that are bestowed on the monarch throughout the ceremony. These usually include the crown itself, the sceptres, the coronation ring, the coronation Robes and an orb.

In some instances, the monarch would be presented to the assembled crowd at each Cardinal point - North, south, east, west and proclaimed the undoubted king/queen/sovereign. It is then the crowd issue an acceptance.

Monarchs would then be asked to take oaths by the figure ordaining them before the assembled crowd. These oaths would be one of service, something along the lines of promising to uphold law and tradition, being merciful, trying not to murder the peasants too much, keep their deity on side and try not to be too much of a failure.

Then monarch will sit on the throne and be anointed. During this part, they usually put a linen smock over their clothes to protect their finery. The anointing in Western culture is usually linked to Christianity, with the application of holy oil. However, the annointing can be replaced with a blessing in any other setting. During this part of the ceremony, the monarch and/or the Consort is shielded by a canopy of cloth of gold held aloft by high ranking nobles. This part of the ceremony is not to be witnessed by the crowd. It is sacred.

Then the monarch is wrapped in their new Robes. They are presented the regalia. The orb represents the monarch's power. The ring is symbolic of wedding oneself to duty. The sceptre is symbolic of power over governance. Once the monarch has been wrapped up and given these items, the Crown is then lowered onto their head. The crown is usually a jewel stubbed coronet fitted over a velvet cap and trimmed with ermine. There would be the monarch's crown and the Consort's crown (which is usually that much smaller). Around them, the nobility will place their coronets on simultaneously while the military give a gun salute.

After this, the Royal family and the peers would then come and kneel before the monarch, removing their coronets and making their oath of "I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God." Once the path is made, they can step back and put their coronet back on.

Once homage is paid, the Consort would then be crowned if this is a married couple having their coronation. Consorts do not have to take an oath but they are given a coronation ring, a crown and sceptres.

Once everybody has made their oaths and the monarch can barely move under their Robes and regalia, it is time for the monarch to make a procession back through the streets - now a crowned monarch.

When Coronations go Wrong

Like most ceremonies, things can go wrong at coronations. Most coronations go off without a hitch yet there are always downsides to a large, expensive ceremony of an unelected figurehead. Surprisingly.

Coronations are often long affairs. There are numerous historical accounts of peers and guests fainting from the exertion of standing in such heavy Robes. These Robes were not only deadly because of heat exhaustion but also their length. The elderly Lord Rolle actually fell down a flight of steps at Queen Victoria's coronation.

Many past coronations have failed due to poor planning. Nicholas II and his Consort Alexandra's coronation was a very lavish affair however due to terrible planning, a stampede occurred where thousands of Russian people where injured and killed. Despite the tragedy, the Couple did not visit the site or the injured, instead going to the French ambassador's ball on bad advice. History would remember him as Bloody Nicholas, made all the more bloody by the Revolution years after.

George IV, as per usual, caused consternation at his own coronation by constantly walking out from under his canopy which caused the nobles holding it to speed up making it all look rather silly.

Guestlists are often contentious points. It is very important not to jar international relations by snubbing foreign powers. While some of the nobles are invited, it is usually expected that the crown will invite representatives from all nations. If invitations are not issued, it can lead to issues. The Royal family is nearly always invited in its entirety even despite criminal activity (fuck you Andrew) but sometimes snubs are issued. Caroline of Brunswick, the rightful Queen Consort, was actually barred from being crowned by her husband. Its rumoured that her hammering on the door could be heard throughout George IV's coronation. Edward VIII, the King who abdicated over his love for Wallis Simpson, was not invited to either his brother's subsequent coronation or his niece's due to the optics of him being a former king and his rumoured ties to Britain's enemies.

Queen Victoria's coronation got off to a very bad start since the coronation ring had been made too small and then shoved onto the wrong ring. Victoria wrote in her diary that she had to rest her hand in ice for the rest of the day.

Coronations are framed as ceremonies of celebrations and national might and while that may be their intention, they are very often, rightly, subject to criticism. Coronations are widely expensive and very often are a display out outdated or unpopular ideals especially modern coronations. In a post WWI world the time of difference is now over and the media rightly critises such an expensive and outdated ceremony. Many monarchies have hastened to modernise to keep up with the new world, cutting down the budgets and revamping the ceremonies. The Swedish monarchs are no longer crowned but instead invested through an oath and sitting on their famous Silver Throne. However, many feel that coronations are becoming a thing of the past and may not be seen in the future.

[mauve-hickeys]

Yeah I just finished the show and I feel the same way. The ending made me so upset especially when they hinted that Bong-hwan still had feelings for Cheoljong in the present day even after his soul was untangled with Soyong’s with the scene of him reminiscing at the paintings. I feel like the number one rule of an isekai (this drama was 100% an isekai) is that the person transported never leaves the world they’re in after they get used to it. Unless it’s deliberately a tragic/sad ending like Scarlet Heart, the show shouldn’t have ended with Bong-hwan returning to present day Korea.

So, I just finished Mr. Queen and I have some problems with the ending, as i’ve noticed many are as well.

Unfortunately, I can’t bring myself to be satisfied with it. I’m already aware of how consistent media is about censoring queer themes in TV, so this didn’t come as a surprise. It just left me disappointed. Although, admittedly, I was a bit shocked at how far they were willing to go amongst other things throughout the show’s entirety. But I could also tell they were holding back with how they were to approach the gay undertones between Bong-Hwan and Cheoljong.

I feel like for a someone that was such a large aspect of the story, Bong-Hwan was disgustingly disregarded as a character during the finale and it felt painfully empty without him. The story just didn’t seem resolved without him being there. He lost everything; his friends, his love… It should’ve been presented as something much more sad but the narrative widely overlooked that. So-yong filling his place and reclaiming her body so early into the conclusion gave very little homage to his memory as her. Even Cheoljong felt like he lost something but will never find closure in that because So-yong neglected to reveal of Bong-Hwan’s presence.

But, above all else, my biggest peeve about the ending is how adamant people are to defend it despite how poorly they handled Cheoljong’s relationship with Bong-Hwan. Many are eager to deny that they had any feelings for each other. The argument being that “The feelings he feels is So-yong reclaiming her body” and I disagree with that. You know how I know thats bullshit? The fact that the show literally shows us otherwise. Even when Bong-Hwan was gone, he still influenced her personality. She still has his rotten mouth and his mannerisms. So I believe that her feelings for Cheoljong intermingled with his and he was influenced by her too. Therefore, he grew to love the king as well. Even if in the beginning, So-yong’s heart for Cheoljong definitely interfered with Bong-Hwan’s, that doesn’t mean they both didn’t grow from that point. And in the end, we’re shown that they’ll never truly be the same, and being apart of one another proved to change them.

As for Cheoljong, I believe he fell in love with Bong-hwan too (As they say, you fall for the personality more than the looks). Irregardless of whether or not he grew some feelings for So-Yong post learning that she was a member of the Kim family, doesn’t mean he didn’t fall in love with the version of her that was possessed by Bong-Hwan. We see he was already interested in him without So-Yong’s influence there.

With that all said, its disappointing that we never got to see an ending for the two when there was obviously a BL in there.