#followed closely by palamedes

[leafspiritz]

started reading the bone books !! 🩻

[oscargender]

Oscar and Andre are so necrocav coded send tweet

[captorations]

the thing people need to understand is that dulcie is, put simply, #problematic. (the hashtag and associated connotations are crucial, here.) this is, without question, a good thing for her character. i see dulcie as the kind of selfish that toes the line of acceptability. sure, she's guilty about it sometimes, but she still follows through. the meaning behind her name, ripped from don quixote, is (in muir's own words) "a woman you want to exist, but really doesn't." that isn't just referring to cytherea! dulcie herself is emphatically not the person anyone wants her to be, with the possible exception of cam and pal. and they definitely had to learn to be exceptions; the only question is if they succeeded, and if so, to what extent.

i firmly lean toward the interpretation that cam and pal did in fact fully comprehend some of the more unsavory parts of dulcie's character, and if anything only liked her more. as they should! how boring she would be, if she were perfect! hell, if she were not #problematic in some way, she would have drawn very clear lines regarding her relationship to them. that proposal would never have been sent if dulcie hadn't been wonderfully, charmingly selfish enough to leave the possibility open.

that's actually part of why cam and pal didn't catch on fast enough at canaan. dulcie would have been hard pressed to not think gideon mooning over her was hilarious, to not go along with it. she'd tease gideon plenty, in ways that she really shouldn't; she'd just also be pulling strings to get gideon to realise that it's harrow she actually wants. in the scenario imagined by cam and pal, where dulcie has cut them off to soften the blow of her death, it wouldn't be out of the question for their dulcie to entertain herself by meddling with the ninth disasters. nor would it be out of the question for dulcie to cut them off in the first place, because unlike cam and pal, dulcie isn't predictable. she doesn't follow a strict internal code in the way they do. she can do things they can't, including shitty and spontaneous things.

dulcie's selfishness, her love of ugly unfinished things, and her *humanity* are exactly the influences cam and pal needed. the sixth are a pair of ridiculous near-superhuman prodigies bound by duty and morality. they need someone to make them worse. to keep them human. it's this influence paul still needs to stay in check.

dulcinea septimus is nosy, annoying, messy, vengeful, dramatic, impulsive, and while not quite a cradlerobber, is uncomfortably close. and i love her so fucking much. and so do camilla and palamedes. and so do you. i'm not giving you a fucking choice

[carica-ficus]

"Gideon the Ninth"

07/12/2023

Reading progress: 443/443 (100%)

Read through since last update: 167

So... It seems I'm at the last reading update... I actually didn't plan to cram so much into one post, but I got really into reading for a day or two, and then managed to get to the last 50ish pages and said fuck it. I'm not gonna say much except that I didn't expect for it to be that bloody, then at the end got so used to it that I had no other choice to just close the book and think to myself "Well. This happened." I will be writing a concise review as I do with each book I read, but I'm just gonna say I loved it very much. (This is, of course, a big understatement, but yeah... I'll gush about it in my review.) SPOILER WARNING! (Like always.)

Without further ado, my thoughts:

I might have been unbothered by the first two deaths, but I sure as hell am not ok after the end of Act 3. Was all that really necessary?? 😭😭

Yooo that scene when Gideon forces Harrow to siphon from her again is??? Hhhhhh... Made me feel a few things. Here's a graphic rendition:

I'm glad Harrow is banning Gideon from seeing Dulcinea. And the thing she mentions about the keys - she's right, it really doesn't make sense. It stuck out to me before, but I just forgot to comment on it. In any case, it's extremely suspicious. Protesilaus is also probably missing because of a distinct reason, related to his adept. Wouldn't be surprised if the Seventh is the one going around killing people.

Of course Silas turned out to be a little weasel. But at least Colum has some dignity.

Oh yeah, Corona is definitely not a necromancer.

Ok, but why am I not surprised that Harrow is the one who had her fingers in Protesilaus's disappearance? Honestly, she's the second most suspicious person in the mansion, but I love her, so I don't care.

HELLOOOOOOOO???? HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO????

First plot twist I have not expected. At all. I'm shooketh, as one might say.

Aww man. False alarm. >:( (This was about Gideon't claim that she murdered Harrow's parents.)

Oooh, but the big revelation was good! It was just a matter of time, so my reaction was more like "Ah! Finally!", than :O (Future me talking here: I'm not entirely sure what this is referring to? I'd guess it was about the Locked Tomb.)

Not Dulcinea doing the King Harold from Shrek dying scene 💀

"I had reason to believe," said Harrow, "that you would trust her more than you trusted me."

"You are my only friend. I am undone without you "

Stuff just kept happening and people just kept dying. Didn't even get the chance to write it all out, and another one was on the floor. Anyway... WHAT THE FUCK.

Honestly, I thought stuff would get all tangled up and I would lose my footing, as I heard most people do. (Or will, in the next book.) So I'm just glad I could follow along quite nicely. It all made sense in the end, even the stuff about Dulcinea. I wasn't too surprised she's the culprit, I'm just surprised how she's the culprit.

PALAMEDES!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!!

"I can't conceive of a universe without you in it." Again, Muir going straight for the jugular. I know she likes to kill off her characters, but she doesn't need to kill of her readers as well.

Ok, you know what. I knew there would be no happy ending. We all knew Harrow couldn't become Lyctor without Gideon dying. So, I am not surprised it happened. But I am also NOT OKAY.

Man, I love Harrow. I love her in the epilogue. I love her in the last chapter. I love how much she cares, how much she always cared. And I love how her relationship with Gideon evolved over time. Ugh. Uuughhh!

Ok, yeah... This was an experience. I'll be ordering Harrow soon and.... Yeah. I'm (not) prepared for more heartbreak.

[sluggydrabbles]

FLUFFBRUARY 9 - READING TOGETHER

“Lady Trace’s eyes were sparkling green emeralds and her lips rubies. ‘My dear, what a pleasant surprise to see you here,’ she enunciated in melodious tones. Lucina’s breath had been stolen from her lungs by the lovely visage in front of her. ‘My lady, you startled me.’ Lady Trace’s eye were as green as a delicate Rhodian tea—“

”Wait, were they green like emeralds or green like tea?” Camilla cut in. “Those are very different greens.”

Palamedes laughed and turned away from the book in front of him. “No no, they are literally emeralds that happen to be the color of green tea.” He shook his head in mock disappointment. “She has literal emeralds and rubies embedded on her face. Keep up Cam!”

Camilla chuckled. “I have heard strange things about the Third.” She kicked her legs behind her. They were both laying on the bed on their stomachs, taking turns reading this monstrosity of a novel.

He rolled his eyes. “May I return to this very well written book?”

“Of course,” Camilla said flatly. “It has such a well plotted out story, after all. I can’t wait to find out which of the beautiful suitors our plucky protagonist will choose.”

Palamedes made a show of clearing his throat before speaking again. “As green as delicate Rhodian tea, full of clever schemes. But she could see kindness and honesty there as well. The dark-haired noblewoman’s verdurous orbs spoke of an insecurity that drove her schemes. There was desire there as well.”

”Wow, her eyes have a lot of things in them. Maybe she should see someone about that.”

”Hush you.” He continued, barely containing his giggle. “The desire in Lucina matched that of the thin necromancer. They gazed into each other's eyes—weren’t they just doing that already?— and Lady Trace took Lucina’s hand in her own. ‘You shouldn’t wander so much. You never know who might take advantage.’ Lucina’s heart skipped a beat—“

”Someone get this girl to a doctor.” Camilla added, adding a mark to a column in the notebook in front of her. The column was labeled ‘heartbeat skips’ and there were dozens of marks.

“Yes, this tachycardia is getting concerning. Lady Trace leaned down until Lucina could feel her breath. Her lips looked so soft—odd for rubies to be soft.” Camilla laughed and Palamedes continued, his smile wide. “Lucina was sick of being a good girl and following the rules. She threw caution to the wind and pressed her lips against the green-eyed lady. As soon as their lips touched, Lady Trace took over, pulling Lucina tight against her, opening her mouth as if she meant to devour the smaller woman.”

Palamedes faltered slightly and he glanced at Camilla out of the corner of his eye. She was looking down at her notebook. “Their tongues battled for dominance, sliding past each other in an intricate dance. Lucina m-moaned into Lady Trace’s mouth and could feel hands twisting in her loose hair. After what felt like a thousand years, they pulled apart, gasping. But they didn’t go far, as Lady Trace began to kiss down Lucina’s n-neck.”

He could feel his face getting hot but he wasn’t sure why. It was just another silly part of this nonsensical novel. Maybe he was just surprised that there was a kiss this passionate. He had thought that this novel wasn’t pornographic, but he wasn’t entirely sure now. He imagined reading a love scene out loud to Camilla and his flush grew hotter.

It would be suspicious if he stopped now. “Um, okay. ‘I won’t let any silly traditions get between us. We belong together,’ Lady Trace whispered into her ear. She bit—oh. Um, she bit down on Lucina’s neck a-and—“

A beep sounded from Camilla’s clockwork and Palamedes almost jumped in surprise.

“Lunch.” Camilla stood up, turning away from him. “It’s time to eat lunch.”

Palamedes closed the book. “Yes. Food.”

She glanced back at him and he was almost certain that she was blushing too.

[deconstructthesoup]

Hello, I'm here as said I would. I've got a few questions. What magic(s) does everyone specialize in/study? Are glyphs back and in use? What were the inspirations for making the fankids the way they are?

Have a great day! Toodles!

Everyone's magic is as follows (and I'll be answering question 2 with that!):

Carmilla: Oracle/Abominations (they're both purple, they're both spooky, and she has a natural talent for Oracle magic while also having been taught Abominations since she was a kid)

Mickey: Bard/Beastkeeping/Illusions (they freaking love music, they freaking love animals, and they freaking love messing with people)

Evan: Healing/Construction (the first one highlights his belief that magic is a tool to help others, and the second one highlights his love for building things)

Lila Rose: Plants/Potions/Oracle (she's naturally gifted at Plants like her mom, she has a keen interest in alchemy, and Oracle magic is as close as she can get to legal necromancy)

Heather: Oracle/Healing (it helps to plan things if you can see the future, and she fully intends on being a doctor someday)

Hector: Bard/Illusions (the two tracks that are often underestimated yet are all about showmanship and not underestimating your opponent? Sign him up!)

Holland: They of course can't use magic organically, but thankfully, the magic of the glyphs has returned thanks to King! Just like their aunt Luz, they see no reason to restrict themselves and dabble in a little of everything.

Jayla: Potions/Abominations (she's never minded getting her hands a little bit messy, and both tracks encourage her to think creatively on the field and in real life)

Silas: Abominations/Construction (two tracks that are some of the physically strongest and are the most useful in a fight)

And as for the inspirations, well...

Carmilla is, obviously, inspired in part by Carmilla---both the classic novella and the fantastic webseries that shares its name. I've noticed a lot of "main" Lumity fankids, i.e. either only children or oldest children, who primarily take after Luz, and while that's incredible to see, I feel like we're kind of missing out on the chance to do one who primarily takes after Amity. Mickey kinda just... sprouted from my imagination, really, I'm still not sure how I landed on them. Their design and personality just popped into my brain.

Evan is named after both Evelyn and Evan Kelmp from Dimension 20's Misfits & Magic series, who is a character that absolutely radiates Hunter vibes (the pitch for his character was "kid who was born to be the Dark Lord and wants absolutely nothing to do with that"). In personality, however, he's primarily inspired by Palamedes from The Locked Tomb, which I thought would fit well for a Huntlow kid. And Lila Rose... I did make her with the idea that she'd mostly take after Willow in terms of personality, but I also loved the thought of a Huntlow kid just being weird. She and Evan are both part Grimwalker, after all. (Plus, I love the mad scientist aesthetic too much to let it die with Philip. His crazy dark cottagecore great-niece can figure out how to use what he learned for good, just to rub it in.)

Heather and Hector were actually originally gonna be Jayla's younger siblings---with Gustholomule being the couple that has no kids but a plethora of pets---but I've seen a lot of really cool fics and fanart of Gus and Matt breaking up and then getting back together due to there being kids in the picture and rebuilding a healthier relationship as a result of that, and... I dunno. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense---of course Gus and Matt, two characters who struggle with anxiety and not being good enough, would have a daughter who's a born overachiever and needs everything to be perfect. And of course Gus and Matt, two characters who have a flair for the dramatic yet tend to hide their inner struggles behind the flash and the confidence, would have a son who's a born thespian and is still learning how to step back from the theatrics and just be real. It just works.

Holland... again, I'm not entirely sure. They're essentially what happens when two incredibly kind alt people raise a kid. I knew that I wanted someone to round out Evan and Carmilla's friend group, and their personality and backstory just sprung from there.

With Jayla, well... I've seen some Skarey fankids who are more femme-leaning, but again, partially inspired by my love for The Locked Tomb, I decided that I wanted Jayla to be butch. And seeing as both of her moms were athletes, I figured that it wouldn't be too unusual for her to be, too. The rest of her personality kinda sprung up around there.

Silas came to me pretty much immediately---I knew that I wanted him to be an entitled popular kid who eventually shifts into a snarky common sense friend a la David Rose or Wallace Wells, and I knew that I wanted him and Evan to be rivals-to-lovers. At the same time, though, I didn't want Boscha to be a bad mom, and I eventually settled on her trying her best but also just not being in a good place mentally, which would absolutely fuel Silas's need to make her happy.

Also, I should clarify---Silas and Evan are not a story of "bully meets victim." The two of them are on equal footing, and their rivalry is based on pure academic pettiness and clashing worldviews. Both of them are dicks to each other, and both of them have instances of needing to grow as people before they can even consider each other friends.

[miserywizard]

genderfucked lesbians 🤝🏻🤝🏻🤝🏻 RADIVOJE THAT WAS HIS NAME YES THANKS why do i miss a character ive never had the pleasure of knowing idek and i get it! whatever you decide to do will be the right decision ofc and if you end up making edits to publish it (important edits aside it DID always feel more adult than ya to me but maybe that was wishful thinking) i promise there Will be people who want nothing more than to read abt your silly horrid children! also. also idk if this is of any comfort but people have not forgotten your books and i say this in the non scary way i promise like. im a librarian AND bookseller in the buttcrack of south italy and we're currently reading book 3 in the weekly book club! not everyone on earth was on the hell app at that time and most people understand that a fumble is just a fumble, nothing to be witch hunted for! tbh That whole thing was nightmarish (and confusing!) to witness from the outside so i can't even imagine what recovering from it is like but i genuinely wish you only the best and a very do nooot get a v public full name and everything twitter acc ever again (AND if you're absolutely done talking abt this stuff feel absolutely free to just. Close ur eyes and pretend i didn't send anything at all dhskfj i didn't even follow you here to avoid making u feel weird i would hate to accidentally be the one clown who turns the attention on The Mess rather than your new bunch of lesbians which btw. love them deeply already thank you)

he was such a funky little guy he's some of my finest work. I went 'what if I smush Vax!Critical Role into Palamedes!Locked Tomb what happens' and what happens is: the worst most pedantic boy alive.

lol i mean the entire basis of the book was every bonkers decision he makes comes from his genuine and real fear that Someone Is Going to Literally Eat Him so it's probably adult. Idk i reread blessed monsters for the first time since 2021 at the beginning of the year and went 'oh we were very generous calling this book YA...'

that is. genuinely so very very sweet thank you <3

LOL i haven't logged into my twitter since 2021 i anticipate it will get deleted for inactivity someday and the impulse to make an account on any new twitter-like only comes from a place of missing friends that are mostly long gone and probably wouldn't interact with me in public anyway. so! i doubt i'll be anywhere than here and instagram, honestly.

i'm far more comfortable talking about it now. At this point it feels... silly? I did what I could, regardless of the fact that it feels like I did literally everything wrong in the moment. If people who were not involved are still mad about it, then, why do you care so much? If people who were involved are still mad that's fine and reasonable, though, again, a little silly.*

i love my lesbians very much hope i get to publish the books with my lesbians.

[createacamillahect]

Camilla Hect asleep on the couch, her head in your lap, your fingers threading through her hair. Palamedes is working at his desk, headphones in, lost to the world. Camilla was going to wait up for him but he is too far gone and she doesn’t have the energy to make him sleep at a normal human hour, not this time. She’ll remind him tomorrow that his headache is his own fault, and he’ll agree but tell her it was worth it. The remnants of the dinner you cooked for them are still on the stove. Palamedes’ praise was effusive. Camilla called it “passable” but ate everything you gave her, which is progress. She twitches in your lap but the hypnic jerk doesn’t fully wake her, and she settles again with her hand firmly but gently clenching your knee. Soon enough she’ll wake up and haul Palamedes bodily out of his chair and into bed, and you’ll clean up the dishes and follow, sandwiching Camilla between the two of you until the morning.

You don’t know what you did to deserve this, but you’d do it a million times over if you could.

oof this is so sweet

Your eyes drift open and closed, feeling the coarseness of the strands as they resistantly slide through your fingers, the pleasant texture keeping you present in the moment.

Palamedes is softly rocking his body to the beat and you smile, whispering "get it, get it" from where he can't see or hear you, quiet enough that Camilla stays nuzzled into your thigh.

You can tell she's awake by her forceful breath out. She stays against you for a second, enjoying the moment before rousing, heading straight for him.

He looks over at her and you see a sheepish smile flash across his face as she gathers him for bed.

The sound of the fan gently goes in the kitchen as you finish washing the dishes.

You crawl into bed on the other side of Camilla. You feel the back of his hands from where he cradles Cam against your lower stomach. You slide your hand in his against Camilla, your other hand wrapping around her to pull him and her closer into you by his hip, your face nuzzled against Cam.

[iviarellereads]

Gideon the Ninth, Chapter 34

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For detail on The Locked Tomb coverage and the index, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Third House icon) In which someone has entirely the wrong takeaway from a situation, but we'll forgive them anyway.

Three adepts and three cavs walk the halls of Canaan House. Gideon finds the occasional piles of former bone servants slightly distressing. They've been operating for ten thousand years, and suddenly, pop, and gone. Gideon wonders what she'd feel after a whole myriad of years: bored, probably, and desperate for novelty because she'd have done everything there was to do.

They follow Harrow's map to the door where she'd removed the regenerating bone from the keyhole. There are no wards they can sense. Harrow suggests it's a lure, Palamedes calls it carelessness. Gideon says they probably didn't give a shit, "given that the key is still inside the lock."

The other two labs Gideon has seen were like caves, made barely functional for living and researching. This room "was light and airy once", but three things catch Gideon's attention. On one wall, painted black, is a message reading

YOU LIED TO US

Someone is crying, like someone who had been crying for hours and didn't know how to stop.

And in the middle of the room, Ianthe sits, reclined royally on a cushion, waiting and trembling. The source of the crying is Coronabeth, next to Naberius on the ground. Ianthe confirms he's dead, and she killed him, though it isn't a confession. Palamedes is the only one not rooted to the ground in shock, so he walks over to Naberius, and confirms that he's gone.

At this, Silas and Colum recover their senses, and Colum draws. Ianthe says he can put that away, she's not going to hurt him. She's merely telling them all that she won, as her teeth chatter. She bites her tongue, yowls, spits on the floor. The blood that lands gives off a little smoke. Ianthe admits that "this smarts,"(1) she had a whole speech planned because she didn't need their help, their keys, their secrets. She was better than any of them and nobody ever noticed, except for Harrow, maybe?

Harrow admits she noticed that Ianthe knew about the beguiling corpse, the impossibility. Ianthe continues her speech, saying she specialises in energy transferral, and she's studied the Resurrection. She understood quickly what the Lyctors were telling them, in the labs. What price was paid for the Resurrection? It would have required a displacement the size of the soul of a planet, and what happens when you kill a planet? Palamedes says he thought she was an animaphiliac.(2) Ianthe says that's just a smokescreen for her true interest in the place between life and death, the "place over the river."

Harrow says Ianthe is making it sound much more interesting than it really is, and Ianthe snaps at her to "Stop being such a bone adept," then coughs, lowers her head, and when she raises it… her eyes have gone from a pupil blowout hiding her eye colour, to her eyes being mingled purple and blue and brown.(3) She closes her eyes again, and they're back to purple when she opens them. Palamedes has moved behind Ianthe, though she doesn't seem to notice him.

Ianthe tells the next in singsong, that first you must preserve the soul, then examine it, know it fully, and then absorb it into yourself without consuming it. Harrow cusses and says "The megatheorem." Ianthe continues that you must "fix it in place so it can't deteriorate", the step she wasn't sure of but found in this room. Step five, incorporate it without being overwhelmed. Step six, consume the flesh, though as little as a drop of blood will do the job.(4) And finally, "you hook up the cables and get the power flowing." She guesses that was the Eighth House contribution.

Palamedes protests, saying she never had any keys, never saw a room but this one. Ianthe repeats that she is very, very good at what she does, and she has common sense. The challenge rooms give all the information you really need "if you're the best necromancer the Third House ever produced." She asks Corona for confirmation, then tells her to stop crying before she gets a headache.

Palamedes says he came to the same conclusion, but he discarded it, thought it was too "ghastly and obvious" to be true.(5) Ianthe says those are her middle names,(6) and calls Palamedes a prude. There were sixteen acolytes to God, and then there were eight Lyctors. Where did the cavaliers go? Palamedes opens his mouth to respond, but he's bumped up against the wall with the black painted writing, and goes deadly silent, one of his thumbs tracing the edge of a letter.

Silas says this still doesn't explain why she killed Naberius. Ianthe says she didn't kill him, she ate him. She has become a Lyctor. She makes a sound that's part hiccup and part laugh, and Gideon's skin is crawling with horror. Palamedes says whatever Ianthe thinks she's done, she hasn't done it. Ianthe asks, but hasn't she? She stands, and something shifts in Gideon's perception of the room, like nothing is significant but Ianthe, glowing as though lit from within. She says it all makes sense, even the rapier as the chosen weapon, light enough to be lifted even by an adept's arms. Each challenge, emphasizing the use of the cavalier, not one of them can be completed alone.

Silas asks Corona if this is true, and if Corona ever tried to stop Ianthe. Ianthe tells them not to be too hard on Corona: what can she even do? People see what they want to see. She's never been a necromancer, Ianthe has been pretending for both of them her whole life.(7)

Palamedes is still unwilling to believe this is Lyctorhood, this is the point of the trials. Ianthe says the Emperor helped come up with it, it's very real. Silas, lost in thought, says, "So that is Lyctorhood," and Gideon thinks she sees Colum's throat work a little.(8) Ianthe asks if he understands, and he says, yes, he understands fallibility. If the Emperor came to him now, he would fall to his knees and beg forgiveness for anyone ever failing the test, and betraying the compact between adept and cavalier. Colum says Silas's name, and Silas says he'll forgive Colum, someday, for believing he could have fallen into this temptation.

Ianthe said, contemptuously: "Come off it, you'd drain him dry if you thought it would keep your virtue intact. This is the same thing, just more humane."

Silas brands Ianthe a heretic, and sentences her to death. Harrow says this isn't the time, but Silas is too far on his high horse not to command Colum to fight Ianthe. Ianthe asks them to stop him, she doesn't want anyone else's blood spilt. Harrow tries to reason with Silas, Camilla suggests they stand back.

Colum Asht does not back off. He attacks Ianthe with no hesitation, and Ianthe responds in kind, Naberius's rapier suddenly in her hand. Gideon recognizes Tern's style, his micro movements and posture, recreated in Ianthe's body. It's then that she realizes exactly the depth of what Ianthe has done. She isn't mimicking Naberius, he is fighting from within her.

The only problem is that Naberius's skill can't quite compensate for the lack of strength in Ianthe's weak, necromancer's arm. Soon, Colum finds an opening, disarms her. As he lunges for the kill, Ianthe takes a bite of her own palm and spits it out, building a fleshy cocoon that Colum bounces off. He tries again and again, but can't break through.

Gideon wraps one hand around her sword, slips the other into her gauntlet. Harrow's hand wraps around her wrist, and Harrow commands her not to go near them, and especially don't even think about touching Ianthe. Gideon looks around and sees Camilla watching the fight, but not defensive.

Finally, Silas says that the necromancer must fight the necromancer, and starts siphoning Colum… then tells Colum to stop fighting him. Colum begs not to be put under this time. Silas says "if you cannot believe, then for God's sake obey." Colum makes a sound, and Silas crosses the distance to Ianthe's flesh tent, electricity arcing across his skin, and touches it. The wall sucks his hands in, ripping with teeth. Silas cries out, Colum turns greyer and greyer.

Then, the shield pops, falling to the floor in strips and globs. Ianthe looks up, her eyes pure white, and screams "in a voice that required many more vocal chords than she possessed."

Silas approached her with hands like hot white murder. Ianthe ducked past him and flung herself down onto one of the still-bubbling sheets that had made up her shield. She sunk down into the skin with a splash, peppering the wooden floor with hot yellow fat. The skin blistered and crinkled up on itself like it had been burnt, and then it deliquesced(9) into a viscous puddle, leaving no trace of Ianthe.

Silas touches the puddle, as the silver chains on his white tunic start to buckle and warp. Colum makes a sound "as though he had been punched in the gut." A bloody hand emerges from the puddle and yanks Silas in.

Then the ceiling breaks open and they are all deluged with "bloody, fatty rain". Ianthe lands on her feet and shivers off the "fetid red soup", while Silas lands heavily. As Silas stands, Gideon feels a suction like an air pressure change, and Silas's power visibly warping around Ianthe. Ianthe, for her part, is nearly hyperventilating but says confidently that Silas can't handle her.

Harrow mutters that Silas is trying to drain Ianthe's strength, but his focus is split between the fight and his cav. Colum lifts his sword and starts moving toward Ianthe. He backhands her with his shield, and her head snaps back, but she seems more startled than hurt. He thrusts his rapier, but she wraps her hand around it like it's nothing. Silas clasps his hands together, and Ianthe staggers and lurches away from Colum. She yells to stop doing this to her. Colum slashes her back, but it heals without her seeming to notice. She tells Babs to listen to her.

Silas slams his hands on the ground, and the remaining blood soup burns off the ground, Ianthe's skin withering. Silas is breaking into blood sweat, Ianthe's skin sloughing off her, but she looks at Colum and says, "Well, now you're fucked".

Colum's eyes are as black as Ianthe's had been white. He no longer moves as a human does, but like six people are controlling him who have never seen a human move before. He turns his head around a full hundred and eighty degrees to see what's behind him. A lightbulb explodes. The air grows cold. Harrow throws some bone particles at Colum, and grows them into spikes, holding him still. He kicks them and they dissolve to calcium clouds.

Silas looks up, still glowing "like a pearl in a sunbeam", but his focus is ruined. Ianthe's flesh starts to recover as she steps outside the bounds of his spell. Silas starts to call Colum back to his body, bidding him return. Colum's body raises Colum's sword and stabs Silas Octakiseron through the throat with it, ending the call. Gideon draws her weapons and throws herself at the meatsuit, which has "a strength no human being ever had." When she gets close, she can see that Colum's eyeballs are gone, and the sockets are now mouths, lined with teeth.(10) His tongue extends from his mouth, growing, wrapping around Gideon's throat.

Ianthe declares this enough, kills the beast, and when it falls to the floor, it's just Colum again, or his body at least. It lands sprawled over his young uncle's corpse, "in morbid imitation of the whole of their lives." Their white garments are stained yellow, red, and pink all through.

When the air clears, Ianthe stands in the gore, looking like a moth or a fairy. She shakes her skirts, and the muck falls off like powder. Then she slaps herself gently in the face and says to get it together, because "you(11) nearly lost that one." Then she turns to the group and says there are worse things in the building than her, steps into the puddle of Silas's blood, and disappears.

Gideon lurches toward Corona, out of desperation just to move, particularly away from the gore. Corona looks up and throws herself into Gideon's arms, sobbing silently, "utterly destroyed."

"Are you okay--I mean, are you all right," said Gideon. Corona recoiled from Gideon and looked up at her, her golden hair smeared to her forehead with sweat and tears. "She took Babs," she said, which seemed fair enough. But then Corona started crying again, big tears leaking out of her eyes, her voice thick with misery and self-pity. "And who even cares about Babs? Babs! She could have taken me."(12)

=====

(1) Smarts, presumably, as in a sharp pain. Can be used literally (the feeling after a slap) or figuratively (after an emotional blow). (2) This may look like it's related to "animal" making this a bestiality reference, and there's probably a layer of intentional joke there, but I'm pretty sure it's coming from the latin "anima" meaning breath, soul, wind, and air, and "philia" not in the modern sexual sense but in the sense of a fondness or tendency toward a subject or person, coming from the Greek for a fraternal love. (3) Naberius's eyes were blue and brown. (4) To draw back to Catholicism, Lyctorhood is communion. Technically, communion is consuming the blood and flesh of Jesus to become one with him, but you can't deny the power of the symbolism here: to become a Lyctor, a saint, immortal, one must consume the blood, flesh, and soul of the cavalier. Check out James 6:52-59 or so in your bible translation of choice. Eat of the flesh and drink of the blood, and he will raise you. (5) Palamedes's bond with Camilla is so strong, he cannot fathom ever being able to do this to her. And, there is something horrifying in the idea that you have to kill, not just anyone, but a dear friend to become so powerful… but necromancy has a cost, and the price must be paid, right? (6) And then of course, Ianthe, a true queen, says yeah, it's horrifying, but power's pretty heckin great isn't it? (7) This explains why Ianthe said, way back earlier in the book, that Gideon shouldn't catch the attention of the Third necromancer. (8) Someone's a little nervous that this sounds too easy, huh? (9) Deliquesce - to become liquid. Think of dead bodies liquefying as they decay. (Could I have said "the way lettuce seems to melt if you leave it too long"? Yes, but we're already experiencing all this horror together.) (10) The Corinthian, from Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Look up at your own risk. (11) Presumably, still talking to Babs as a separate entity. (12) Corona has wanted nothing more than to be recognized as her twin's cavalier. You can see it in the way she was organizing the bouts, the way she was so eager to fight Gideon herself, and now her own sister, her very twin, has chosen Babs over her, chose the man who was nothing to them over the person who's been there every step of the way. Which is why I say in my intro that I, at least, will forgive her for having an entirely diagonal reaction to all this.

[bone-joke]

My brain decided to bounce ideas about The Locked Tomb characters/major arcana associations, so here we are. I don't have the bandwidth to delve into minor arcana right now, might do it later.

I know some major arcana apply to more than one character, I tried to find a distribution that is overall satisfactory and manages to catch at least one key aspect of the character I paired each one with.

SPOILERS FOR ALL THREE BOOKS!

Gideon Nav - the Tower

Sudden change; having plans and routines disrupted; emotional outbursts (especially anger); having a downturn in fortune; often consequences include having a sudden revelation/realization, or getting answers.

Harrow Nonagesimus - the Hermit

Introspection; need to get answers/understand; loneliness; separating oneself from the world; looking for answers within; accepting help/advice; difficulty in reaching satisfactory answers.

Camilla Hect - the Chariot

Victory; reaching a goal; focus on the objective; force of will and discipline; being assertive and confident; beating a competitor; prolonged efforts; being sure about who you are.

Palamedes Sextus - the Magician

Taking action; turning the possible into reality; realizing potential; acting with full knowledge of the situation, of your motivations, and your limits; single-mindleness; focusing on a goal; creativity; making an impact on the world/those around you.

Coronabeth Tridentarius - the Sun

Being noticed; becoming the center of attention; setting an example; vitality; good health; enthusiasm; honoring your true self; being confident; trusting your abilities; forgiving your past self; achieving new insight/understanding.

Ianthe Tridentarius - the Wheel of Fortune

Using the chances offered to you; finding opportunity in disadvantageous/bad situations; changing your direction; experiencing significant changes; creating a personal vision; gaining perspective; discovering your role/purpose.

Naberius Tern - the Devil

Loss of independence; submitting to others; accepting an unwanted situation; being concerned with appearances; ignorance; being unaware of the truth.

Ortus Nigenad - the Star

Having hope/faith in the future; looking forward to a future success; inspiration; creativity; inner strength; giving back to others; sharing; reaching serenity.

John Gaius - Death

Bringing something to a close; concluding unfinished business; going through a change; leaving the known for the unknown; being in an in-between state; eliminating what's not needed; being caught in the inescapable.

Mercymorn the First - the High Priestess

Inaction; not getting involved; waiting; using intuition; trusting your inner voice; understanding possibilities; seeing hidden chances; nurturing potential; looking beyond the obvious; allowing things to develop.

Augustine the First - the Emperor

Setting direction and tone; offering explanations; order; being systematic; appreciating reason; sticking to a plan; being commanding; loving being in control; working from within the system; setting standards.

Cytherea the First - the Lovers

Love of all kind; making emotional connections with others; physical attraction; opening up to others; figuring out your personal beliefs; questioning outside opinions; making up your mind; making a choice; figuring out what you care about.

G1deon the First - the Hierophant

Learning and understanding; honoring ritual and ceremony; following a discipline; having a strong belief system; conforming to the rules; having an orthodox approach; adapting to the system; being part of the establishment; being committed to the cause of a group; loyalty to the group/organization.

Pyrrha Dve - Strenght

Endurance (physical and spiritual); having resolve; being patient; not getting angry; taking time to achieve one's goal; being kind and tolerant of others; understanding others' feelings; being persuasive; influencing others indirectly; using the strength of love.

Nona - the Fool

Beginnings; starting something new; a new Journey; living in the moment; acting on impulse; being carefree; surprising others; being trusting; felling loved; living joyfully; accepting your choices; being true to yourself; trusting your feelings.

Alecto - Judgement

Taking a stand; making a judgement; having an awakening; feeling renewed inner conviction; deciding to make a difference; taking a new direction; answering a need.

Paul - the World

Wholeness; bringing different parts together; working together in harmony; finding an harmonious solution; realizing goals; healing; giving yourself; taking pleasure in life; peace of mind; contentment.

Kiriona Gaia - the Moon

Being afraid; giving in to your fears/worst self; believing in illusions; chasing a fantasy; distorting the truth; losing direction and purpose; being easily distracted; lacking courage.

Commander Wake - Justice

Settling debts; doing what needs to be done; seeking equality; taking responsibility; accepting the results of your actions; determining the right course of action.

NOTES: Kiriona gets a separate entry because due to the change in POV, unreliability of all narrators, time skips etc. I feel like there is a noticeable gap in the character arc/continuity and so I'm more comfortable having two different entries for the time being.

There is no character associated to the Empress and the Hanged Man: I am having a hard time finding someone for the Empress (there's a distinct lack of "traditional" maternal/feminine figures, and nature is quite lacking too), while the Hanged Man could easily apply to... half the cast, honestly.

I'll probably revise this once Alecto the Ninth comes out anyway, so let's see if in the future I can find associations for these two cards, too!

[beedreamscape]

MY REVIEW/THOUGHTS ON NONA THE NINTH WITH SPOILERS

I'll shamefully (not really) admit I much preferred John's sections of the book to Nona's.

Maybe is my hard time connecting to children or just the meandering aspect of their day-to-day life (I didn't know the book took place over a single week, I thought it was much longer) but most of the book is a lot of nothing but recounting things that have already happened and details that won't matter much in the future. There's little in that planet for us plotwise and, IMO, I don't care for the people there at all.

I just feel this should've been a novella instead of a full-on novel and if I hadn't gotten it as an audiobook, I don't think I would've finished the book.

One example of the audiobook coming in handy is, if it wasn't for Moira's unique voice for each of the kids (which was annoying little voices, I'll admit, but fair they're kids), I wouldn't have been able to tell them apart and I think we could've done with just two or three kids instead of the bunch we got. Also, all the BOE and adjacent characters did nothing for me (also Pash was given the most annoying voice ever of all time so I hated her instantly).

I won't say Nona is not an endearing character but there's only so much you can put in before it becomes overly sweet and at a certain point she wasn't doing it for me anymore and her "death" was the most interesting aspect still dragging my attention to her, I was at the edge of my seat waiting for Alecto to come out.

This paragraph of very personal opinions mind you: I didn't care for the dogs or the school or the broken down city or the kids or the teachers or WeSuffer or whatever Pyrrha was doing. And I feel like I should! but it was dragging so much and I was just here waiting for the plot to start.

My favourite character in the story this time around was Camilla n Palamedes simply because they were the most capable and most focused in the plot ahead. Also, their Steven-Universe-esque fusion struggle made me tear up more than once. Pyrrha's presence was also welcome but it never made me love her, there's still so much I'd like to know about her though.

Then there's John... even after the shitshow that was his human existence and even bigger bs as an immortal being, I'm still deeply fond of him and was counting the minutes until his chapters. It's all so honest, so close to home, so human seeing how power corrupted his sanity even if he didn't realize how it was eating at the corners of his stability. I also love peeking behind the curtains and seeing how everything came together from just a guy a poor little meow meow to a global catastrophe was very fun.

I don't want him to die but it seems like the only way for his story arc to reach catharsis is Alecto killing him and our very capable necromancers keeping the sun from exploding ig. Anyway, shallow theories, Tamsyn is anything but predictable!

And following the line of the previous novels, I didn't understand everything but I didn't have that hard a time going through it, though the politics in both John's and Nona's part were very confusing to me and by the end of her part in the planet especially, it was really losing me.

Also, the lack of necromancy outside the very very few occasions of Palamedes is felt by me at least. Even with Gideon not being a necromancer, we were surrounded by it, it was nearly a hand in the plot in the mystery. Here, there's none of it and it's heartbreaking.

In conclusion, I liked the book as a part of the overall series but considerably less than the previous two instalments. I'll be rereading the other two books in the future but I'll keep my reread of Nona to John's parts and very very end.

[lordfrezon]

Round 2 of The Locked Tomb characters MtG Color Identity. Finished Nona so time to add in those characters, plus a bunch I missed. Spoilers for Nona, obvs. Note, again: Do not take this seriously, this is a horoscope for loser nerds. Feel free to disagree with me publically.

Nona: Red/Green. Pure energy and driving force. Connected to nature and rebirth, so very green energy there. Red, I mean, her tantrum is just some big damage X spell.

Pyrrha: White/Red, leaning much more towards white. A soldier, but focuses more on her close friends than on some abstract "greater good". Also an addict.

Commander Wake: Black/White/Green. Her goals are incredibly selfish and antagonistic to everything that isn't her, but she believes they're justified given the danger she views in necromancy. Willing to wield the power of her enemy to destroy them. Also has demonstrated at least some care for the organization that she leads. Really a fascinating character to study and one I wish was discussed more in Nona.

Palamedes: Blue/Black. Maybe hints of white or green. The study of necromancy is first and foremost to him a study, but he goes all the way in. The most blue character, but he's ambitious and wants to obtain as much power as he can through his studies. Also willing to sacrifice both himself and Cam to further their ends.

Camilla: Red/Blue. A true warrior, but genuinely interested in the pursuit of greater necromantic knowledge and figuring out Nona's deal. Notably not particularly devoted to any cause beyond that of her close immediate friends, but not at all selfish and willing to sacrifice herself for Palamedes.

We Suffer: Mono-white, a true commander of the cause, to the detriment of a lot of her own people/interests. Emphasizes the rules until there is a greater gain to be obtained, at which point she figures out a loophole to exploit.

Crown: Black/Red. Not as evil as her sister, but only because she lets her emotions drive her around a lot. But still clearly selfish and ambitious.

Varun: Probably mono-green or green/red. It's real hard to assign a color identity to an Eldritch Monstrosity. But it and its brethren appear pretty devoted to hunting down John's ass and are very anti-necromancer.

Alecto: Probably green/red/white. Follows oaths made millenia prior, but is also the spirit of earth and is PISSED. See Nona and Varun.

Noodle: Green/White, as befits the king of dogs.

[biracy]

[Text ID:

1: Darling girl, Tomorrow you will become a Lyctor and finally go where I can't follow. I want you to keep this letter when you are far away and think of me and want me and can't have me, and know that no matter how far you travel, nor how long the years feel, the one thing that stays entombed is

2: Harrow said, "Don't leave me." "The land that shall receive thee dying, in the same will I die: and there I will be buried. The Lord do so and so to me, and add more also, if aught but death part me and thee," said Gideon. "See you on the flip side, sugarlips."

3: "Then let us not seek out forgiveness, but forgetfulness," he said, "Bury me next to you in that unmarked grave, Joy. We knew that was the only hope we ever had - that we would live to see it through... and pray for our own cessation. Oh, we'll still hate each other, my dear, we have hated each other too long and too passionately to stop... but my bones will rest easy next to your bones."

4: "Tell me no, and we'll go on as we have been... and we'll go on unafraid... but say yes, and we will make this end, and this beginning, together." Camilla shivered all over. Then she was at rest; she relaxed her head - the lines of her neck dropped like a flower - she raised it again. "Palamedes, yes," she said. "My whole life, yes. Yes, forever, yes. Life is too short and love is too long."

5: I remember their hands in my hands... I remember A- telling me something, and M- saying, We're together. We'll go together.

6: She looked back beyond, and she saw Anastasia, tucked where nobody would find her, Anastasia, all bones. Not really Anastasia. But Anastasia's body without the meat on it, snuggled right into the curve of the rock, ready to close the door whenever it was opened. She remembered Anastasia.

End ID]

the mysterious study of doctor sex / gtn 37 / htn 52 / ntn 28 / john 1:20 / ntn 32

we're together. we'll go together.

[captorations]

concept: gideon and camilla both fall on spikes for their necromancers at the same time. some cristabel and alfred shit. in a desperate move to delay the process as much as possible, harrow and palamedes *swap* cavaliers. after all, for the process to work as intended, you have to actually know the person dying for you. and as much as they click, team 69 do not know each other too well yet. so then in HtN, the lobotomy trick is way easier and affects them far less. they only forget about the swap, stopping the process entirely. and then you have months of gideon watching harrow mourn her through pal's eyes and camilla watching pal fall apart through harrow's eyes. both necromancers habitually talking to themselves trying to talk to their cavaliers. g1deon trying to murder them both, ianthe attempting to fuck up everything, and them closing ranks in response. following instructions left by their pre-lobotomy selves to develop an equitable form of lyctorhood, ostensibly for future lyctors. they work it out just before the heralds come, but don't have time to follow the secondary instructions of, you know, undoing the lobotomy before mercymorn stabs them. they try anyway and it fails due to 404 Cavalier Not Found and gideon and camilla wake up on the mithraeum so very, very pissed off at literally everyone

[iamnotshazam]

On Cassiopeia the First, Grand Lysis and the Locked Tomb

Spoilers for Nona the Ninth: This may be an important theory for Alecto the Ninth.

In Harrow the Ninth's conversation where Harrow tells John about the Ninth House infanticide, John says something interesting-

[John addressing Harrow] "You generate too much light, or too much darkness, for me to look at you [. . .] You were awake during your first time in the River, and you performed necromancy, and believe me when I tell you the only one other person has ever done that their first time in. Keep in mind that she was an adult necromancer who went on to found the Sixth House. [. . .] How did they get you?"

I think John may have been speaking more literally about light and dark than I assumed at first. Gideon saw weird auras during one of the trials at Canaan House. But more importantly, Cassiopeia kept awake and used theorems during her first time in the River, too. But her connection to necromancy and death cannot have the same origin as Harrow's, because Cassiopeia was born before the rise of John as God and the death of the Earth. She was a lawyer and Nigella was an artist.

John is taken aback by Harrow's explanation. He wasn't expecting anything to do with eggs, birth, or possibly even thanergy:

"This was . . . all so different . . . before we discovered the scientific principles." "[. . . ] your mother and father committed a type of resurrection," he said. "They did something nigh-on impossible. I know, because I have committed the same act, and I know the price I had to pay. Thalergetic modification of an embryo is difficult enough, but to achieve the same thing with thanergy . . ."

Was Harrowhark Nonagesimus already a Lyctor? There's more than one type. Palamedes called his theory the Grand Lysis or megatheorem, and Harrow rejected it out if hand at first, possibly because she was already familiar with a similar concept and thought it couldn't be that. Her own existence would have been open for discussion if the joining of many souls into a true new soul was possible - so it can't be that, because she's an ordinary necromancer, right?

John ends the topic with:

"Harrow, nobody has the right to know," he said fiercely. "Nobody has the right to blame you. Nobody can judge. What has happened, has happened, and there's no putting it back in the box. They wouldn't understand. They don't have to. I officially relieve you from living in fear. Nobody has to know."

Is God panicking about Harrowhark revealing something to other people? Is God projecting some of his own justifications and anxieties onto Harrow?

The Body (Alecto) is very quick to tell Harrow to lie about her age to Mercymorn. This would have kept Mercymorn from asking questions about the plot to create a child of God to break into the Locked Tomb, but on the first read it's assumed it's Harrow's mind hallucinating a self-defense against investigating the infanticide. But if the true answer might have led to Mercymorn unraveling the success of Dios Apate Major, why would Alecto want her to lie? Why would Alecto want to hide a key to her Tomb? Alecto can't lie. Does Alecto like Harrow that much, to continue her own imprisonment?

Why?

What we know about Cassiopeia as of Nona the Ninth could barely fill a page. She:

Was gay with Nigella but had to keep it secret (why in near future 21st century NZ, though? The nun?)

Was in the original followers, witnessed everything at the cryo-lab, was resurrected, and had her memories erased

Married Nigella, as officiated by John, then turned right around an hour later and told John he was making bad choices

Was at Canaan House with the Lyctors and the Cavs researching how to . . . Lyct. The wiki said she worked closely with Anastasia (?), who had a more complete idea of Lysis, a tripod theory.

Ate Nigella and became the Fourth Saint

Founded the Sixth House, a research library

Left the Sixth House a note 6,000 years ago that eventually led to the Sixth House seceding from the Empire. (Blood of Eden made contact with the Empire 5,000 years ago.)

Is heavily implied to be another Lyctor source for BoE at one point (TV tropes, can't confirm)

Spirit magic and Resurrection Beasts were her specialty

Died in the River fighting a Resurrection Beast, lasting seven minutes under - except Palamedes while being ~mysterious~ implied maybe she didn't die

I'm wondering if pre-resurrection Cassiopeia (truth-teller, secret-keeper) made a note somewhere about how concerned she was about John's mood and possible actions. If she somehow found it again after the Resurrection. If the note was vague in hindsight and she didn't understand the full implications until after Lysis. If she was the first person to understand John was hiding something but also learned that he couldn't read their minds. If she created a moveable research facility and library that held itself separate physically and emotionally from the rest of the Empire, with the ability to move with enough stele, for a reason.

She wasn't like the rest of the Lyctors. She checked in on her House every now and then. She left them a note. Maybe she didn't have to avoid Dominicus like the others. Maybe she didn't have to fear the madness of a Resurrection Beast, where other Lyctors did. The first, broken type of Lyctor. Gideon the First and Harrow both managed to unintentionally make a bodge of their attempt at Lysis. Did anybody else? Would they know how to pick up the pieces and put them back - in a different way?

And was Cassiopeia doing something else during those seven minutes in the River?

There's a backdoor from the Tower in the River that connects directly to the Locked Tomb. Paul-amades thought he knew how to get to the Locked Tomb via the River. Harrowhark began walking towards the Tower as soon as her conversation with God ended. And in the conversation about her parents committing infanticide, Harrowhark told God:

"I am assured they had no previous research to go by. They came up with it themselves."

When her parents learned their daughter had brought Armageddon upon the Nine Houses, they reacted eerily calm. They killed themselves and may have expected her to as well. About a decade before, a person in a haz-mat suit appeared on the Ninth with a baby assumed to be named Gideon. Where did she land, outside of the airlocked Ninth? Who would have gone out to get her? Who gathered up the baby? Who eventually learned this was the same baby that lived through the nursery massacre?

"You remain - what you are," said Crux. "A worthless millstone hung around my darling's neck. You were born to make her suffer. You died as you lived, Gideon Nav - a disappointment to me - and to God."

Did someone put the idea in the heads of Harrow's parents that they needed a necromantic heir so assuredly they would risk the slow death of their house with no children? That maybe the survival of their House would soon not matter? Was there an indication using necromancy that way was even possible?

Mercymorn and Augustine had abandoned Commander Wake after Dios Apate Major. Space is big and stele are hard to come by. Was there someone transporting Wake to the Ninth? Someone with access to the River? Someone with the ability like Nona or Paul

Anastasia was locked in the tomb, as ordered by John. Samael died and Alecto was sorry for him. An oath existed to bind Alecto to Anastasia's blood.

What have Cassiopeia and Anastasia been planning?

[a-big-apple]

Kiriona’s wounds

Ok, fellow boners. I fully and with no hesitation in my heart want everyone to draw what they want, write what they want, and interpret text how they want. That is a core tenet of fandom. But can we talk about Kiriona’s wounds for a minute?

He undid her scarf, and Nona looked away. Beneath the scarf a huge wound in the throat made the neck yawn wide open. When she peeked back, wishing she had her braids to screen everything, she saw that Palamedes had unbuttoned the shirt partway and there was another big wound in the chest--a big purple bloodless puncture wound, with white teeth peeking out coyly from within.

“Damage is consistent with reported injuries. There’s another wound lower down.” (NtN 365-366)

She’s got one wound through her throat, one wound through her chest, and another “lower down” through her abdomen that Nona can’t see because Palamedes is a good polite boy who is not going to pull his dead friend’s whole shirt open. He has no strong reaction to these wounds! They are as expected, “consistent with reported injuries.” They are the same wounds Camilla saw Gideon receive when she died. 

We know from Kiriona that the chest wound obliterated her heart. I know everyone is taught in elementary school that the heart is on the left side of the chest, but it’s only a little bit to the left. It’s really very close to the center, behind the sternum, which is the bone in the front of the chest where the first seven ribs attach. 

(diagram from Wikipedia)

I know a wound with human teeth in it is wicked cool and also not at all outside the realm of possibility for The Locked Tomb, given the stoma, and the devils with teeth-eyes, and the flowers with teeth that John grew for Cassy and Nigella’s wedding. But I don’t think John was messing with Kiriona’s body; he didn’t even have to preserve it personally, since we know from “As Yet Unsent” that it was incorruptible even when it was in BOE’s hands. Gideon is his flesh and blood; his touch and his power have likely been working on her since the day she was conceived. 

I don’t think there are human mouth teeth growing in Kiriona’s chest wound--that is definitely something Palamedes would comment on, especially since Paul is surprised and needs a reminder when they see the teeth-eyes on possessed people on the Ninth. I interpret “white teeth peeking out coyly” as the broken edges of Kiriona’s ribs; a puncture wound that went through her heart would also have had to break through her sternum, leaving ragged tips of rib and cartilage behind. Nona, as she does constantly through the book, is describing what she sees in terms of what she can understand. She’s not an anatomist, and she has no interest in bones.

So, back to the three wounds, as a set. Given the position of the heart in the body, the throat wound and the chest wound are relatively centered. I think we can assume that the third wound follows these two in a fairly straight line, because that’s how fence posts are arranged. Tamsyn peppers in descriptions of the fence Gideon throws herself on throughout the final fight; it’s described as having “bent, bowed spikes,” damaged, like everything in Canaan House. Imagine a wrought iron garden fence with spiked posts, falling apart, bowed this way and that. Gideon “fell forward, right on the iron spikes.” I’m picturing a segment of three, evenly spaced, in line with each other--creating three evenly spaced puncture wounds in her body.

(this great picture came from flickr)

I’m perfectly ready to be proven wrong in Alecto, but I really think Kiriona’s wounds are a simple result of her manner of death, cauterized and preserved by what divine power resides in her already, and not terrifying mouths John stuck into her for some unknown reason. And fandom should keep fandoming and putting teeth wherever we want and imagining all kinds of awful what ifs, because that’s our bread and butter! Just wanted to walk through what I pictured, because I’m not much of an artist.

(Also, sorry, I just have to say while I’m here that I am in love with Palamedes as Doubting Thomas checking out Gideon’s wounds and using psychometry to make sure it’s really her. Extremely poignant to me! I took Thomas as my confirmation name--for Thomas Aquinas, but still--and I’m fond of nerds who need evidence to believe things.)