#the queercoding and queerplatonicism in TWSB can honestly get an entire essay out of me haha

[pendwelling]

hi !!! I really like your content ☺️ it gave me a lot of information as someone who stopped reading twsb for a while . I actually have a few questions I wanna take your opinion on

1 / in the last chapter gain asked yuseo if they should have signet rings right ? So does that mean the rings she and ced were wearing were signet rings ? I mean the author wouldn't have mentioned them in the last ch for nothing right?

2/ I Know u said before that the heir problem is resolved with cerise and that she's basically like ced and yuseo daughter which really really excited me 😚😚 but it seems cerise is made an imperial granddaughter and ced sister 😭 so how can she be his daughter or his heir 😭😭?

3/ okay this is my last question which is merely asking for your opinion and me rambling on my own 😅😅so I know u think there's a huge possiblity of a political marriage between Cedric and gain ...do u still feel the same way? Cause honestly I'm not really fond of them getting married 😔

To make it clear I'm huge gain fan and I really really love ced gain dynamic and relationship.i find really refreshing ,funny and interesting. The reason I'm not fond of this marriage is well to be honest I don't want their relationship to turn romantic 😭😭I know it may sound stupid and irrational cause I don't have the right to decide but I can't help it 😞 I'm such a huge cedyseo shipper 😩😩

I read so many great bromance and bl bait stories that got destroyed by hetero endings that it made me uncomfortable thinking about this potential marriage 😭 I know it makes perfect sense considering their development so far but my fujo heart can't help but get broken 💔 cause u know them getting married will eventually lead them to getting much closer and develop feelings and yuseo will kinda feel left behind,like he no longer be the most important to both of them🥺🥺 I just really hate it when the bromance get destroyed by hetero endings.i got a really bad experience with them 😩😞

Thank u for reading through my useless ramblings 😘😘

Oh hi!! First off, I would like to appease some of your worries. To start, TWSB is not a romance-centered novel, thus does have any romance storylines between any of the three main characters, so the relationship build-up that we have while follow them through all their adventures has always been one of very strong platonic bonds.

HOWEVER!!

It should also be made clear that TWSB is not exactly BL Bait. I personally and very strongly would not describe it as "bait" whatsoever (or even "queer-baiting") because, at its core, TWSB is very implicitly and very integrally Queer-coded and Queerplatonic.

This is present and even supported by the worldbuilding alone, from the magic system, to the lore, and to the relationship between several of the characters (many of which are even influenced by these in-universe cultures and magic systems). So, while the relationship between Yeseo, Cédric, and Ga-in (Christelle) specifically is never portrayed in a way that is explicitly romantic/sexual, it is also very clear that "platonic" is not the full extent of the kind of relationship they have (hence why I like to call it queerplatonic!) The relationship between Cédric and Yeseo is undoubtedly the most popular and well-loved dynamic within the fandom (and understandably so, I am one of them LMAO and know this very well) and have many canon instances of bromance/"romantic-coded" interactions, but outside of fandom shipping lenses, when you read the novel and follow the relationship progression of these three characters (of which is very closely intertwined between all 3 of them), the same can be said between not just CedYes, but between Ga-in and Yeseo, and even Cédric and Ga-in to their own special begrudging degree as well (haha). Ultimately, these three are inseparable. They have a special relationship that no one could besides each other can truly understand, and are friends who have through thick and thin for and with each other. They share their souls (literally, between Cédric and Ga-in), and literally again (eventually) between Cédric and Yeseo (assuming they finally go through their Holy Pledge—which, by the end of the main story, is very very highly probable, as the only reason Yeseo has been putting it off this whole time has finally been resolved. Besides, Cédric explicitly affirms that he would NOT accept anyone but Jung Yeseo as his religious partner LMAO).

From the very start we have been introduced to the concept of Religious and Political Companions, and it is clear by the end of the novel that Yeseo and Ga-in are the most fitting candidates for each position. Not just because of Yeseo's eventual religious/etheric prowess and Ga-in's political/nationalistic status as a fellow war hero, but also because they are simply the people closest to Cédric—the only people, besides his mother and his godmother Aurélie, whom Cédric would ever allow himself to open his soul to and share himself with.

Politics in TWSB is very important haha. As the future Emperor, the choosing of his Religious and Political partners are both important, and he has the benefit of having two very close companions who could perfectly fill those symbolic roles for him. Besides, to further ease your worries about a possible marriage between Cédric and Ga-in haha, it is also not uncommon in TWSB's in-universe history for political and religious marriages to be purely platonic, and sometimes even just diplomatic. And as someone who has read the entire novel and followed through with the development of these characters, I still firmly stand by my belief that Cédric and Ga-in will probably end up marrying at some point down the line—and I don't even mean romantically. In the first place, these two hate each other so much hahaha, but at the same time, it is ALSO very clear and very true that deep down, they respect and acknowledge each other, and they both know they are good friends, rivals, and partners.

But even if they DO marry (politically), it does not and ABSOLUTELY WOULD NOT take anything away from Cédric and Ga-in's affections towards Yeseo.

In fact, it's pretty much a buy-one-get-2-free deal with these three. Cédric and Ga-in share a soul/plate, and when Cédric and Yeseo go through with their Covenant, they, too, will share a soul. In the end, it's impossible to have two of them without the third. They are quite literally a package deal hahaha.

Sookym is a good writer. A very good one, in fact, so much so that it is actually crazy (you grow to understand this the more you read, especially when it was still updating/being written in real-time). I do hope as you read this novel that you have faith in the author and how they develop CedYesChris' relationship, because it is truly special, well though out, and very heavily intertwined. A writer like Sookym, who puts so much effort into building their world and their characters, would also absolutely not take this unique relationship between three individuals and exclude one out. Assuming ChriCed get married, it is VERY UNLIKELY that they will grow closer and in consequence drift apart from Yeseo. It is actually impossible. In that scenario, Ham Ga-in Christelle would be more likely to hold onto Yeseo by the teeth and freeze Cédric to death, and similarly, Cédric would lock Yeseo up in his palace and burn Ga-in alive, should Yeseo ever stray. Yeseo is the glue that holds them together, their pole and axis, their gravitational pull and the center of their universe. ChriCed would both agree that there is no future where they do not ALSO have Yeseo by their side. They have fought against the will of the narrative TOOTH AND NAIL for that man to remain by their side. Please rest assured hahaha, they are a package deal.

"Hetero Ending" is impossible. TWSB is too queercoded for that. CYC are the most harmonious bi-disaster queerplatonic polycule you could ever imagine WKWKHJGJHK

As for the rings that future Cédric and Ga-in are wearing, I've shared my opinion before but I do think it could be either of two possibilities:

It's their Political Companions marriage rings

It's their signet rings (Cédric's for being Crown Prince of the Riester Imperial Family, and Ga-in as Marquis Hauteclere)

Either way, both are equally probable. I personally am more partial towards the first (again, think of me as a Riesterian courtier. Logically, the Emperor of Riester would need to follow tradition of having a Political and Religious Partner, and I, a humble Riesterian Court noble, having calculated and observed the best odds, have made my own conclusion that out of every noblewoman Cédric's age, Christelle Rambouillet is the only person who could put up with that guy WHILE ALSO having one of the most notable reputations and image that could support the future Emperor), BUT I also find the equally-likely possibility of the rings being their signet rings very funny. Like, as of now (when the side stories have not been released), the main story concludes with a nice amount of ambiguity regarding the future to allow each reader to envision whatever they wish. I think that is perfect. I don't even think we need to know more (though I would not oppose to it possibly being explored even further in the side stories hahaha).

And again, being Political Companions does not require love. So long as an heir is produced or is available, the relationship can merely be a partnership (take Romero and Joséphine, for example). Cédric has an advantage, however. He has Cerise Riester, whom Frédérique has adopted into the Imperial Family. While it is very much expected for the ruling Emperor/Empress to eventually sire an Heir, I truthfully Do Not Think you could ever force Cédric Riester to do the horizontal tango if he does not want to. That guy is responsible to a fault however and is always aware and conscious of the expectations surrounding someone of his position, but between marrying some random noble lady who would never fully comprehend the extent of his soul, and marrying Ga-in, someone who shares it and would understand him no matter what, it is clear the best choice is Ga-in—who would even readily agree with him if he chooses to not sire an Heir. He can always either adopt the child of a relative (like what Frédérique and Alexandre once nearly did with Cédric's sixth cousin, Jibril Diop, back when Ced had been prophecized to die young), OR he could eventually appoint either Cerise (who is now also technically a direct descendant of the Riester line) as his heir, or any possible future children she might have—and the same can be said for the Rambouillet Family, who have now adopted Lynn as Ga-in's sister! Cerise and Lynn are pretty much CYC's solution to the question of heirs and it's SOOOOO FUNNY but also REALLY SMARTLY PLAYED LMAO. TWSB is not a romance story haha, so the magical babies born in some way thanks to CYC are the answers! Congrats Yeseo...... you are a mother of two 🥹 Cédric and Ga-in are the fathers, and your kids will grow up as sisters 🫶 (Sookym has even conceived their designs as such actually, which is so so so touching bc it basically means they are and will be FAMILY, and you can really tell the author put so much thought into this. It's truly great to have an author who knows what they're doing and who's had a clear vision since conception 😭)

ANYWAY, sorry for the long response LMAO but I hope this was able to answer some questions and appease some worries! (oh and thanks for liking my content too haha!)