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lezabeththetheodoraimposter · 6 months ago

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Cognates and Queer Coding

(Note: this essay contains spoilers for Stellarlune, mainly regarding the relationship between Sophie, Fitz, and Keefe)

The similarities between queerness and cognate relationships throughout Keeper of the Lost Cities is shown through specific cognate partnerships such as Quinlin/Alden and Tiergan/Prentice, cognate relationships not fitting into norms of romantic or platonic, and the parallels to coming out.

Specific Cognate Partnerships

According to Mr. Forkle, the cognate connection creates a bond that is similar to marriage; similar enough to marriage that councillors aren't allowed to have cognates due to their rules against falling in love and having families. Because of this, cognates of the same gender could be considered to have been in a same-sex marriage. Before their breakup following Prentice's mind break, Alden and Quinlin were essentially in a queer marriage with one another.

Although they never officially became cognates, Tiergan is stated to wish he'd been cognates with, or "married," to Prentice. This is one of many lines that suggest Tiergan has romantic feelings for Prentice. Throughout the series, Tiergan is shown to be extremely devoted to his close "friend." Despite being stated to be uncomfortable with touch, he is very physically affectionate with Prentice. Additionally, the two of them are raising children together. This has led many in the fandom to believe Tiergan and Prentice are in a romantic relationship.

These two specific instances of queer-coded cognate relationships could imply the queer nature of cognates overall.

Queerplatonic Relationships

Due to its similarity to marriage, use of rings, and frequency of holding hands, cognate relationships are often read as having romantic implications.

However, cognate relationships are not depicted as entirely romantic. Sophie and Fitz were cognates before becoming romantically involved, and hoped to remain cognates even after their romantic relationship ended. Quinlin and Alden were also married to their respective partners while in a cognate relationship with each other. Therefore, while cognate relationships closely resemble romantic relationships, they are not exact.

Because of this, cognate relationships could be read as queerplatonic. Queerplatonic relationships are a type of relationship that don't fit into the traditional boxes of romantic or platonic, and are often formed by those on the aromantic spectrum. While it is unlikely Shannon intended for these relationships to be written as queerplatonic, reading cognates as a bond between two aromantic spectrum telepaths would be an interpretation supported by canon.

Coming Out

The emphasis on sharing personal information with one's cognate, and the potential discomfort with that, resembles the difficulty surrounding coming out as queer. Although doing so is necessary to strengthen trust within a relationship, many queer individuals are anxious to come out and will avoid doing so, even if telling the truth would likely improve a relationship.

Growing up as an elf in the human world, Sophie learned to be a very reserved person and disliked sharing personal information about herself. Even after moving to the Lost Cities and no longer needing to keep her telepathy secret, she continued to prefer to keep things private. When she learned she would need to tell Fitz everything in order to be his cognate, she was very uncomfortable and it made her rethink whether she wanted to become cognates.

Tiergan is also someone who prefers to keep secrets from others, and Mr. Forkle describes him as "particularly adept at misdirection." Avoiding personal questions is a skill many queer people develop out of necessity, in order to remain closeted. Given the Lost Cities' opinions on matchmaking, they are presumably not accepting of queer elves, and it is likely that Tiergan avoids revealing information about himself because of the need to hide his sexuality (and possibly gender).

This similarity is especially prominent when it comes to hiding information about crushes. Having to conceal information about who you're attracted to is a common experience for queer individuals, and it is also something Sophie experiences throughout the series. At first, she is hesitant to become cognates with Fitz because she doesn't want to confess that she has a crush on him, and later, she is reluctant to reveal her feelings for Keefe because she is worried that he will be upset or angry. However, when she does tell the truth, or "come out," their relationship is stronger and they trust each other more.

Conclusion

Although Shannon Messenger most likely did not intend for cognates to be queer-coded in her writing, many aspects of cognate relationships can be read with queer implications and may resonate with queer readers.

#prentiergan is everything to me #biggest prentiergan shipper #prentiergan #teirtice

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