#i'll still read alecto

[scarlct-vvitch]

love tamsyn muir. love the books. never have any idea what the fuck is going on but love them

[griddleharker]

One theory(?) I do not see often, surprisingly, about tlt is how Harrow never actually thought she was in love with the body.

I see it often discussed as 'she confused worship and love.' But I think her never being in love with the body is just as believable.

The first time it is assumed, it was by Gideon, who never felt strongly about religion. Harrow does not confirm it, and pushes Gideon in the pool, and often time, refusal to speak upon an assumption or strong denial means it is the truth. However, right before Gideon assumes the nature of Harrow's love is romantic, it is framed like a kiss between Harrow and Gideon is going to happen. And Harrow clearly is expecting it to happen as well. Imagine your crush is leaning in, as if to kiss you, only to ask if you're in love with Jesus Chirst and you're a devout Christian. I believe that pushing off your crush in the pool out of embarrassment and frustration is only fair then.

Then, there is the entirety of Harrow The Ninth. This time it's different, it is not an outsider believing Harrow is in love with a corpse/religious symbol, it's Harrow herself. And while it sounds just like I'm disproving my own theory, we have to remember in what state Harrow was in, and what we know of her. Harrow spends a good two-thirds of the book trying desperately to fill a blank. She does not know what the blank is, but she knows it's there and not right. All of the instances where she is shown to be infatuated with the body could be read as her taking the one thing she feels is closest to what she lost, and shoving it in that place to replace it. No, she could not have filled the blank with Ianthe, she has not known her long enough for her to fill the earlier blanks. It needed to be something that had a very strong presence in her early life. I believe the end of Harrow The Ninth goes very well with this interpretation as well. She finds out the truth, and what represents the thing she stuffed into the 'blank' is filled with what was originally the blank.

Then, the epilogue of Nona The Ninth. Again, we don't have Harrow's thoughts on what happens, and she seemingly does not have a lovestruck reaction to it. 'Why are you not appeased?' an easy answer would be that it is not what she actually wanted. Nona's really good at reading people's body language, and it does kind of disproves that point, I'll admit. But still, the thought can be entertained that Alecto misinterpreted Harrow's fervor, or that as Alecto, she is less great at reading people. She is too big an unknown for me to be sure.

Either way both theories are very fun to me, I just think this one should be considered more !

[billyshakesp]

How Tamsyn Muir Uses Information

I've been trying to pinpoint exactly why I've been so obsessed with The Locked Tomb for the better part of a year by now, and I think I've finally been able to draw some useful conclusions. Here's my analysis of Tamsyn Muir's writing, and, specifically, how Muir uses information to drive a plot.

For me, and for most fiction writers, one of the most critical elements which drives the plot of a story is the information you choose to give to the reader, and the information you choose to withhold. It is my opinion that no one uses (and arguably misuses) information as beautifully as Muir does. Muir is surgical both in the way she delivers information to the reader, and the way she fails to deliver information to the reader. Most writers aim to feed the readers information about the story, bit by bit, letting the reader finish the picture. Muir uses this idea, but her writing is so lush and so sharp is that the information she gives us is distorted almost beyond recognition, but just coherent enough that the reader can guess at the bigger picture. This method of delivery persists from the inciting incident, basically up until the climax.

By the climax, we, the readers, have recieved just enough information to guess at the direction of the story, but we recieve so little information that we are still scrambling for more. It is at this point where Muir finally reveals one or two critical pieces of information, and when she does, the true stakes of the conflict hit the reader with, as Muir would put it, the inexorable weight of a gravity collapse. The truth is that Muir has been building suspense for an entire novel, but it's hard for the reader to conceptualise truly how dire the situation for the characters is because we have been left in the dark. We were crawling at a snail's pace, and so we didn't sense the danger until we stood before the precipice.

I was going to include specific examples of what I've just described, but I changed my mind, and I'll explain:

If you've read The Locked Tomb, you know what I'm talking about (my heart shall never be whole again).

If you haven't read The Locked Tomb, read it! It is lush, dark, vivacious, and many other adjectives which make it unclear whether I'm describing a book or a person.

Ahem. Anyway. TazMuir, I love your writing, and Alecto the Ninth will be my end, as swift and sure as the hammer to the oxygen-sealant machine of my childhood.

[twicedone]

Let's talk about... Pyrrha Dve

So, firstly!!! I want to make it plain here that I am RAMBLING about a character I LOVE and while I'm going to TRY to keep things about them as close to canon as I possibly can - I am dumb, and I forget things!!!!!! Secondly; SPOILERS FOR Harrow the Ninth and Nona the Ninth!!!! Thirdly; I will be making grammatical errors and you will be dealing with them!!! (sorry!) Anyways, I absolutely ADORE (full-caps and bold too!) Pyrrha Dve, I think that there's FAR more to her than our beloathed (I kid) Tamsyn has outright stated! (refer to @dammit-tazmuir 's wonderful post here for a look at the Pyrrha-berg ) and I think she'll be pretty important in Alecto the Ninth! However, this post is less about how Pyrrha IS and more about how she FEELS to me. I'm very early on in my transition journey, poking myself with a needle and crying at stuff all the time... so when I started reading Nona the Ninth and saw all the care Tamysn had put into Pyrrha I started to have the thought that maybe --just maybe-- she'd been intended to be read as a Trans character. I kept reading (and talking to a friend about the books, 'cause that was fun!) and the more I learned about her the more the conviction built in me that she was Trans; well, not LITERALLY Trans. (She had a female body at one point, one that she sacrificed long ago... and maybe that sorta disqualifies her from it but that also sounds REALLY fucked up to me??? So I think she's fine, and can rep Trans pride whenever she wants.) Anyways. She's lived the past TEN THOUSAND YEARS in a male body (sounds familiar.), having to stare at the face of her half-dead best pal whenever she intermittently had control of him! I can hardly imagine a better metaphor for dysphoria... forced to stare at someone other than yourself, someone who you care for on some level (it's you, after all.) but you know it's not REALLY you or your body. It's just your soul looking out of eyes that hardly belong to you. Her insistence on shaving her facial hair and hair-hair, even though it was only mentioned a handful of times, it really spoke to me. I hate seeing anything on my face, and I hate the mop of hair that my body makes. When she asked Pal if he could zap the follicles out of her chin, jod (lol) I felt that. There's also like, just how emotional she can be... (not really a trans-thing but more a TD (that's me) thing.) which speaks to me on a personal level 'cause of all these stupid new feelings I have to deal with. And just like, a lot of her dialogue. I don't know, maybe it's wishful thinking and the desperate need for a role model transplanting my own experiences onto a fictional character! Whatever! It's my head canon, and I'll do what I want with it! Edit; I FORGOR TO TALK ABOUT PYRRHA AND WAKE!!!!!!!!!! I can't be the only one (and I'm sure I'm not) that thinks that Pyrrha and Wake were far more intimate than Wake and G1deon, right?! It seems like all signs are pointing towards it, like Wake only included G1deon by accident because she wasn't aware of what Lyctorhood actually was! I think maybe they even loved each other, in a fucked up and supremely toxic way. Maybe Pyrrha would've actually helped her had she been in charge of G1deon's body at the time. ALSO What Trans woman isn't in love with a crazy fucked up woman? (or man, or enby, or someone outside or in between it all) I'd fall for Wake too, Pyrrha says she's got a thing for "Landmine People"? Wake is a fucking NUCLEAR BOMB!!!! I'd betray my jod to sleep with her too, WOOF!

Thanks for Reading!!! (Or skipping to the end to yell at me!) Please let me know what you think in the quotes, and I'm sorry to dammit-tazmuir if I accidentally pinged them or something, I'm still learning how to use tumblr!

ONE LAST THING!!!!! I will throw myself on a fence and haunt Tamsyn as a revenant for all eternity if Griddlehark doesn't get a payoff, you have been WARNED!!!!!!!!

[asexualbookbird]

I didn't complete my 24 in 2024 list, but that's okay. I read a lot of short books and that's okay. I tried something new and wrote a small blurb in a draft after finishing it, instead of cobbling together feelings from what I remembered throughout the month, and I liked that a lot. I'll continue to do that, it made this a lot easier. Officially gave up on Ga'Hoole, and don't feel guilty about it. There are better books in the world and I will find them. That is a threat.

The Screaming Stair Case by Jonathan Stroud ⭐⭐½ - I want to watch the tv show, and I always feel weird doing that before reading the book. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't another Jackaby. I will not delete my blog over it, but it was. Not great. Fine. Fun at times. Would be more fun if the author didn't hate fat people so much. A pet peeve of mine is when the main character is a girl but the series is named after the main boy in her life. Icky. Not the worst, but I'm not sure I want to continue the series. The audio narrator was Delightful.

The Shattering by Kathryn Lasky ⭐⭐ - GaHoole book five. I know I said at the start of the year I'd read what I owned, but I'm no longer having fun so this will be the last for me. I'd rather be reading Animorphs. The owls can't save it for me, I'm sorry. Still counting it towards my yearly list though.

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons ⭐- by Peter S Beagle This was trying to be a T Kingfisher novel but couldn't figure out the right balance between humor and devastation and how it fits into a small amount of words. It tried to be a Terry Pratchett novel but couldn't figure out what satire was. Disappointing considering I was hyped for it when it was announced. Dragons eventually showed up, but it was too late for them to save it.

A Psalm for the Wildbuilt by Becky Chambers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - reread for book club! Still adore it! This time around I was able to pinpoint WHY I adored it! It's because I too feel Aimless and Without A Purpose. So. Ouchie. It's also helping me figure out what I want out of a "cosy" novel (or novella). Internal personal conflict! I would still do anything for Mosscap.

A Prayer for the Crown Shy by Becky Chambers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - reread for book club! Once again, Becky Chambers has flayed me open and picked apart my soul! Reading Monk & Robot is like sitting down and being given a cup of tea while I cry my heart out.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - "Is this what it means to lose someone? The pain never goes away, it just gets buried?" I think this ending hit me hard for different reasons than most people are going wild for. It was Fine. Not mad I read it, but don't see myself ever wanting to reread it. I like the idea of the library as a living thing and a character itself, but there were a few plot points that just seemed to be brushed aside.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I needed a safe tragedy I knew the end of and this did it. First time I actually shed tears over these words, but I needed it. It was fun to see and note the pieces that were laid out for later books, and I wonder, knowing some teasers we've gotten for Alecto, what TMuir means by Gideon wishing she could marry her sword.....

I don't have 2025 reading goals at this moment. Maybe that will change. It will probably change. I mean, there's the Usual, read the books I own, dangit, but that seems so. Boring. Typical. Everyone's doing that. Let me be ~Different~. I have a few fiber arts projects I'd like to do and finish, and I'd like to finish the sewing projects I started if only so I can pack all that up and put it away for a while. We're still hoping to move, so paring down my book collection is still an ongoing endeavor, and I do have a couple of art pieces I'd at the very least like to get sketched out. I want 2025 to be slow. I want 2025 to be quiet. I want 2025 to be kind. That's all I ask of it. Be kind.

[themeaningthemeaningthe]

TLT Alecto the Ninth Tarot Reading

haven't done any tarot in a while and wanted to get back into it with something a little silly. i felt 9 cards was an appropriate number for this reading, but i'm tired now, so i'll just be including a phrase or two from my little book that popped out to me (because i don't have card meanings memorized, and i like the writing in the book that came with my deck), and maybe some initial thoughts. feel free to interpret more

What's up with the friendship bracelets?

page of coins: "eager to explore new creative or professional opportunities", " inexperienced, but great deal of potential -- hmmm jod's last lyctor standing and zombie daughter christening getting into the empire business via friendship bracelets?

More G1deon backstory?

reverse nine of wands: "your setbacks have proven to be too much, and you feel broken under the weight of your responsibilities. the journey has been long and unfulfilling, and you cannot remember the point of all the struggle" -- oh my poor saint of duty

Alectostasia perhaps?

reverse two of coins: "you have taken on too much, and you are beginning to let certain things fall through the cracks...you lack focus, and your attention, patience, and energies are spread too thin" -- i don't remember how much we know about the timeline of the lyctors ascending and when alecto was entombed, but i wonder if perhaps the reason anastasia failed to ascend was because shit was happening with alecto. or if anastasia's closeness with alecto was what allowed her and samael to almost figure it out, but the realization that john had let them all fail and kill their best friends was what distracted her

Will there be a chussy (chest hole) scene?

two of cups: "refers to a healthy and mutually beneficial unity. it indicates earnestness, and bodes well for partnerships of all kinds" -- ya know what, i'll take something hopeful where i can get it

Wake reappearance?

reverse six of cups: "memories of the past yield sorrow. long-buried regrets suddenly resurface to haunt you. you must make peace with your relationship with your past." -- well, if there's one woman i can count on to be vengeful enough to come back as a revenant more than once, it's wake. i sincerely doubt she's made peace with her past, so maybe she'll return

Colum Asht reappearance?

reverse six of swords: "unaddressed conflicts from the past keep catching up to you... old habits perpetuate old problems" -- also has a theme of the past returning, so i'm gonna take that as a yes for some sort of Colum Asht reappearance

something about paul, please?

reverse three of coins: " suggests that the quality of your collaborations is beginning to suffer. you must take some time to troubleshoot and figure out where the snags are in your complex network of projects. whose input is not heeded? whose contributions are overlooked? now it a good time to check in with your teammates and reasses your shared vision." -- my initial thought is uhoh, but also the way this book writes all the coins minor arcana feels so funnily like corporate or acadmeic?? that i just thought it was funny and had to include the whole thing bcuz yeah that does sound like how cam and pal might approach an issue

a card for the beginning of the book?

reverse 4 of wands: "the foundations you have built feel unsteady. there had been a breakdown in communication somewhere in your closer circles, and it makes everyone feel ill at ease. someone in your life might believe they are fully committed to something when they still have doubts. this could spell disaster down the line." -- my first thought about this was john's hands and fists- his foundations have crumbled and he's left with only one baby lyctor and his reanimated dead daughter. and perhaps ianthe is having doubts about whether she made the right decision saving him instead of augustine at the end of HtN

and one for the end?

the star in reverse: "as the dust settles and the Tower lies in ruin, you may find yourself alone in the dark. reversed, the star cautions that you have fallen deep in despair and cannot move forward. signs of hope seem too good to be true, and you feel more lost than ever"-- hey man hey man hey why

[moonogre]

On Wednesdays We Murder! ⛽️ 🔥

Thanks @alectoperdita for listening to the Cry Baby playlist! It got me hype on these weirdos again. Also please go read Alecto's Lure for more mean sexy problematic vibes. It's the longest work in the ship by my estimation and so deliciously worth it!

Cry Baby is the next long project after my current WIP. Here's a sexy murder boyfriend excerpt. (PS Mokuba is not murdered Imao)

(Also I was too shy for the group intro but in case folks don't know l am @moonogre and chat fandom stuff there mostly!)

😢

"Don't play your fucking mind games with me-"

Seto's face crumbled into a rare expression of confusion.

"Mind games?" Katsuya was caught in Seto's eyes, molten gold. Something about this bewilderment looked positively melancholic on Seto, and when he spoke next, Katsuya understood why. "Katsuya, you're the one with whom I speak plainly. What do you want to know? Just ask. I'll tell you anything."

For all intents and purposes, Seto looked to be telling the truth. His face was earnest, lips parted slightly.

He was splayed beneath him, hair the colour of sea foam spilling around his head. His hands bound, Katsuya's grip on the rope. Eyes like the Midas touch: in its line of sight, Katsuya was touched, too, and all his senses gilded...

"What do you fucking want from me?" Katsuya hissed.

Seto smiled, and he would appear an angel to anyone else, but Katsuya wasn't fooled. They had just murdered the only surviving members of Seto's family in cold fucking blood.

Kaiba Seto was the fucking devil.

"I want to be yours, Katsuya," his voice had sunk into its desperate, dark promise. "And I want you to be mine. I want to watch you take everything you've ever wanted. Even if it's me." His gaze glinted, pupils blown. "Especially if it's me.”

Seto writhed a bit below Katsuya and pressed his shin between his legs, smiling at what his friction found. Katsuya’s blood thrummed in his ears, thick and loud. Seto bound in his shaking grip, chest lightly heaving, hawk-eyes gleamed in rapture. Jounouchi had fallen prey to his arousal long ago, baring down on Seto’s mouth finally. The boy barely waited for their lips wet, desperate contact to open as though he would gorge Katsuya’s soul, right from his open mouth. Katsua smoothed his tongue into Seto’s mouth and the boy moaned with a whore’s abandon that wound every sinew in Katsuya lust-tight. Katsuya clung to the coarse rope encircling Seto’s wrist and imagined how raw the bounds would rub the boy’s pale skin, vice-tight in his grip once he started his merciless rutting into him, over and over.

"I want you," Seto breathed in his ear. This close, Katsuya could smell the gasoline, and how lifeless Seto looked in the eyes as he doused his aunt's townhome in petrol, its pungent benzene wafting between them, even now. She'd wailed with her crammed hands tied through the banister, pleading for her life. The tinder had crackled when the flames twined themselves in the walls, the rugs, the rafting, raining slow burning ember. Katsuya and Seto had fled through the smoke before it could choke them.

And yet, still, they heard the begging, heard the screams. Near the foyer door, a galley wall of family portraits. Katsuya had spied one: Seto’s mother and the same screaming aunt just feet away, swaddling an infant with a shock of teal hair.

it was Seto's turn to beg now: with his body, legs fastened to Katsuya's wait, rocking smooth into him, whimpering into his mouth. Katsuya took his hand that didn't clench the rope tie and fisted it through Seto's hair. His gold eyes guileless eyes peered up at him, mouth puffy from kissing and glossy with spit. A single thread of saliva joined them and Katsuya felt like he was going crazy with how hard he was panting.

"I know you want me too," Seto said. He was soft-everything about him was, even the scent of gasoline had treacled saccharine, and Katsuya pressed himself into Seto again as if he could be pillowed into this strange softness, to suffocate perhaps, to never appear again. Seto boy laughed into his neck— the sound one made from a harmless jest, a laugh from a bad pun, a trite knock knock joke, not the laugh from a person who listened to their mother's sister beg please please Seto why why are you doing this—

"My hands are tied, Katsuya. If you are going to take me as you wish, you'll have to strip me yourself." And there it was, that smile: "Personally, I don't care if you rip these clothes right off my body.

[alystrin03]

Reflection Ruesday!

As every Tuesday, @becausedragonage trend is on!

Rules: Go through your writing, art, gifs, etc. that you started but never finished and find something you love. Brush it up a bit if you want and share it. Tag me and use the tag Reflection Ruesday

Aaand I'll tag @nyx-de-riva @dragonagegayz and @pixiedurango. Not too many people this time, but I don't want to be intense or bother anyone. ALTHOUGH if you read this and feel inspired, please do it and tag me!!!! I'm eager to see your works!

This time I'll share a fragment of an argument I've written for a while. Neve is back at the Lighthouse, but she's not happy with Rook, not after choosing Treviso. And, well...

Neve's acidic tone was a direct provocation. In other circumstances, Rook would have ignored it, preferring peace among the team rather than direct confrontation, but for today, she had had enough of biting her tongue. She stood up abruptly, alarming everyone but the detective, and slammed both hands on the table.

“You want to bring it up? Let's just get it the hell over with.  I'm sick of the snide remarks and the backbiting. What's your problem, Neve? What’s your fucking problem?”

Neve hadn't expected Rook to jump on her so easily, but she'd been building up her anger inside for too long to stop.

“What's my problem?” She said, raising her voice “WHAT'S MY PROBLEM? Minrathous is my fucking problem! It has been ever since a goddamn dragon ravaged the city and you didn't give a damn about letting Dock Town burn!”

That was nothing new. Rook knew Neve had never forgiven her for choosing Treviso, but accusing her of indifference was another matter. She had gone back there, exhausted after the combat in her own city, and still, Neve was not happy. Fuck, Rook even had beat her ass trying to help reconstruct the stupid Minrathous.

“Forgive me if I thought a fucking lightning-spewing palace was enough to hold off an attack! I'm so sorry I thought the damn Shadow Dragons and a city crawling with mages could manage to hold out without me having to go stick my neck out for you!”

It was Neve's turn to look at her in disbelief. What was Rook implying? That they hadn't been good enough? That the city, her city, wasn't worth the risk?

All the people in the dining room looked at each other, uncomfortably, wordlessly. Lucanis felt enormously guilty: perhaps he should have told Rook that they would manage without her, that the Crows could solve the matter. But neither then, nor now, did he believe in the least that without her help there would not have been more casualties. They had been saved by a miracle, and in part, it had been because Rook had decided to confront the corrupt dragon directly.

“Are you blind? Minrathous was full of venatori just itching for a chance” Neve was completely beside herself. She stood up in turn, knocking the silverware off the table. “An opportunity that you, with your fucking selfishness, served them on a platter!”

“SELFISHNESS?” Rook had also started shouting “I DID EXACTLY THE SAME THING YOU DID: I WENT TO MY TOWN TO HELP HOW I COULD! And here you are, throwing it in my face, when perhaps what frustrates you the most is that the amazing, the magnanimous Neve Gallus was the one who wasn't up to the task!”

Panic replaced discomfort. Things were getting out of hand, and the explosive nature of the two women could trigger a catastrophe at any moment.

“Rook... Neve...” Bellara tried to say. Neither of them paid her the slightest attention.

The Tevinteran was shooting sparks out of her eyes. What did that damned mage mean? Who did she think she was? She was nothing but a fucking mercenary, completely undisciplined, with her damned dysfunctional magic and her cheap tricks. Cold contempt replaced the fury in her tone of voice.

“You know what? I should have known better. I did my homework on you, Alecto De Riva, and before I met you, I knew perfectly well who you were. A fucking traitorous rat that the Crows themselves expelled from Antiva for being arrogant and undisciplined, for screwing all the hard work they’ve made in just one night. You do nothing but fuck up everything you touch.”

Rook went pale.  The glass she had held in her hand until a moment ago exploded into a thousand pieces under the pressure of her grip, causing several strands of blood to run down her forearm and stain the wooden table

[jods-duplicitous-sluts]

Alecto the Ninth News

Part One

Alright friends. We are all chomping at the bit for any Alecto news at all. So here is what I've compiled from interviews, podcasts and AMAs. Sources are linked and screenshots have alt. text.

I've also included a little commentary or speculation on some points but ultimately that's not the focus of this collection.

Under the cut because I feel like it's going to get long.

So many screenshots, it turns out I'll have to split it into 3 posts.

If you enjoy this post please reblog so more people can see it!

Jump to part ■ Two of the post

Jump to part ■ Three of the post

I'm making this post on mobile, so forgive any wonkiness. Also tumblr ate this post once already *screams into the void*

• The book starts with Harrow in Hell. A reference to the Harrowing of Hell. Based on the presence of a porn mag I'd guess it's her own little river bubble inside Alecto but still just speculation.

Source: Tamsyn reads to us! Video with written description

• There is a wedding of some sort. Possibly other excuses to dress up the characters in formal ware. Some people have expressed concern that this was referencing the N- and C- wedding in Nona, but nope. We have confirmation that it is in book 4.

Source: Twitter

The next series of screenshots are all from the same tor.com interview: TM on Lyctorhood and Genderfuckery.

• This first one again confirms allusions to the harrowing of hell/ the decent of Christ. For those out of the loop the tldr:

The harrowing of hell is an Old English and Middle English term referring to the period of time between the Crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection. In triumphant descent, Christ brought salvation to the souls held captive there since the beginning of the world.

A lot of speculation has gone on around about Harrow and her role in freeing the souls trapped in the river/reviving the river from whatever is poisoning it. [ *cough*JOD*cough*].

Also another reference towards formal outfits for the cast. So at least the wedding if not multiple formal functions.

• The question of Harrow and Gideon's souls will continue into Alecto. Looking forward to info on how enmeshed they've become and/or if they can be separated.

• I mean this quote is infamous by now. Which of our faves is it in reference to? All of them?

•I feel like we haven't seen enough about the differences between rebirth [a la Paul and Nona] vs Resurrection [Gideon/Harrow?! Someone else?] So while not a direct promise of anything in Alecto, I feel like the implication is there.

•The next two screenshots are about the Alecto cover, which is complete[the first from the above interview:]

•and the second is from an AMA from Aug. 5 2020

• The cover is definitely done since she was talking about it in 2020 and reaffirmed right before Nona’s release. I feel like they are waiting until they have a better idea of a publishing date before release. Maybe we'll get news in Q4 after the Nona paperback release and excitement dies down?

• From the same 2020 AMA. As this is pre-Nona, it could be possible that the heist mentioned deals with Gideon's body [either the Houses heisting it from BOE which happened off screen or the heist of Gideon's body from the barracks]. But I included it just in case that isn't what is being referenced.

• Same 2020 AMA: Again this could be covered in Nona as being what the John chapters were about, but also maybe not.

Source: TazMuir tumblr post from April 2020

• Another infamous quote at this point. Definitely feels like this is about the 'Third Most Toxic Polycule' of Harrow/Gideon/Ianthe and maybe Alecto is in this loop as well. With all the references to weddings and relationships I'm wondering who out of these four is marrying who...[maybe it's someone totally different, but my money is on someone in this situation]

Click to see part two!

[lady-harrowhark]

*trying not to think too much over the fact that we still don't have Alecto to read, after wrapping up Nona*

I have so many thoughts. So many feelings.

God is an all powerful entity in which everyone depends on and he's just some guy. Normal looking and bad puns and all. He's awkward. He's trying his best and failing is hilarious.

Palamedes and Camila WILL make me shove my whole foot down my throat oh my goodness their relationship is so. IS SO. SOOOOOOOOOOOO. And I love that is was never romance-implied cause is so much beyond that. Dulce was never treated as a disturbance for them, Tamsyn when I catch you (positive)

If I think too much about Gideon I'll cry. Uglyly. Or Harrow. My pookies. Oh no my dork pookies. They do not deserve it. Tamsyn when I get you (threatening)

Pyrrha got me all hot and bothered 😳😳 *twirling my hair* my good sir have mercy on me. oh I have a type, and it shows and it shows.

I'm also fascinated for the structure of the story. Is so brilliantly made without being overwhelming. The change to 1st person > 2nd person > 3rd person depending on what's going on with who, the theater play model at the end of Nona, the books being careful not tell you, dear reader, information that the characters themselves don't have because YOU will know what THEY know, and sometimes that's jackshit.

I'm thankful for me, for taking the step of trying something new for a change, and thankful to you 🫵 for taking your time to explain what the series was about and linking me the stuff 🫰 oh my heart is full, really what a time to me alive 💕

There is not a single aspect of these books that does not cause me to feel shrimp emotions and I'm so so so glad that you are having the same experience 🥹 It's been so fun getting to see your reactions - watching other people react to the series for the first time is this fandom's national pastime tbh. And now you get to join us!

[idecidedtopassout]

Random analysis of the parallels between Zero Escape and The Locked Tomb (feat. In Stars And Time and Signalis)

Foreword before the foreword, spoilers for all of these in their entirety. Except for ISAT which is only being spoiled, like, the first quarter maybe. I noticed tlt and ze were randomly glued together in my mind and couldn't parse why. tlt has so much more in common with signalis but they couldn't be more standalone, even though I love both for much the same reasons. Instead, signalis and isat are not glued, but, like, siblings in my head. And that's weird. Signalis doesn't have a sad love story. What's going on??

So I wrote an essay. A messy essay. I don't think i'm ever gonna post much here, but if this is an interesting read for even a single person then that's really nice to know. And if it's not then I have it saved here, at least.

Anyway, here it is:

So my main issue here is figuring out WHY tlt and 999 are grouped up together in my head, by association, even though they shouldn't. Even though every single thing i can think of as of writing can be applied to signalis and ISAT (which I also love), or one of the first two, but it doesn't. I'm kind of figuring it out as I write this, so sorry for the messed up format and structure. I edited like 4 sentences after writing

so much of tlt is also about identity and love and what those mean both in isolation and together. like it's very much exploring eternity too in a very similar way,, a lot of it is intersecting! the only thing it doesn't do the same is iteration, and i feel like that's The Big Divider. because iteration is such an important binding force in signalis and it's themes that it's more like, the medium of its ideas in a way? which makes it really hard to meld together with anything else like that. it does Not meld together with isat (for example) in my head but it feels closer to it just because of said iteration being how you experience and unravel the whole story, the emotional core. and i feel like i struck that point right. it fits, it makes sense in my head. but 999 and tlt are not doing anything the same either, so why doesn't it apply there? tlt is so much unreality, and ze doesn't have that in common at all. gtn maybe works? because it's "set amount of people are brought -- mostly independent of their wishes -- to an unknown, mostly abandoned place, and made to solve problems", but it is so not the end of it.

My thoughts as to why they resonated with me so, so much, are that They're different kinds of loneliness, which was a topic I've cared a lot about in media since i was a kid. So that's kind of the thing i'm focusing on when i'm thinking about them, whether I like them or not. They have unique lenses on it that feed into their themes: For signalis, it's iteration, self, and perception. A sort of Ship of theseus situation, where everything is doomed to corrupt into itself into something unrecognizable. Even so, Elster will always try to remember her promise. She will still always try so hard. And she will always fail. And it will never end. I've talked a lot about signalis and i did a lot in the messages too so i'll cut this here. Tlt has the self, with all of the Ianthe and Palamedes talk, with souls, with the resurrected lyctors. With names. And it does also consider eternity, but not as a tragedy. It considers eternity as nature, and it considers change. It considers love as sacrifice. So many examples throughout the books of relationships end up sacrificial, with either the epitome or the exception (depending on how you see it) being Paul. Lyctorhood's parallels with romance should not be understated. And this is what it leads to in my mind. Pair this up with eternity and boom, that's the focus of the narrative, i feel. Nona doesn't fit unless it shows Paul and Alecto as final results, but i think the reason Tamsyn decided to make it a full book, as fun as the worldbuilding is, is specifically to show us Cam and Palamedes in detail. What they do for each other. How they feel. How they think. What qualifies them to become the exception/epitome. And then the books tie together in this. ISAT is. uh. I won't give too much away from fear of spoilers. I'm considering here Siffrin, The King, and Loop. These 3 have a VERY seriously spoilery thing going on but it also heavily links to how eternity and iteration gently changes and numbs the self. You feel this SO hard especially when skipping dialogue. You never want to skip. You always wonder if you miss something. You often times do and don't realize it. Love plays a role in the premise, in the characters, and throughout the game, but mostly as a carrier for its loss. How you don't want to lose it. How you will, regardless. How it's your fault, and your fault alone, but also not really. About communication, and about how to anchor yourself THROUGH time, to other people. And how that anchor can keep you from being alone, and how that can help you go through eternity. If i were to link this (rather forcefully) to tlt and signalis, it would be how lyctorship leaves you alone for eternity, and how that's absolutely to your detriment, but how simply being with someone you love makes that eternity worth it. For signalis, it's how even if you get lost through abstraction, through layers of yourself, through repetition, even if all else loses meaning, love will still be there as long as you are willing. Be it romantic, platonic, or simply the joy of staring at the sky. It's about forgetting, and about remembering to not forget yourself. For 999 I'll do a short summary of the plot of it all right now though because you might need it for this one. Though this is kind of a shout into the void, to keep this thought alive somewhere, I feel like 999 might be the lesser known of the 3? And if you know it, this is like, still what I ended up processing to get to my point so oops sorry you still need to read it.

block limit reached so hold on i need to separate this in 2 parts

[silver-grasp]

I really don't have the words to articulate it very well but The Locked Tomb clicked for me so fast as having a really strong thesis-antithesis-synthesis structure. Part of it is that there's literal synthesis happening in the form of lyctorhood lol but that's not the whole of it at all.

The ending of GtN is Thesis: Ianthe and Harrow become Lyctors, one through open murder, the other through willing sacrifice - though we will later learn this is not nearly so much of a subversion as we might have thought, given that Gideon is basically doing a Cristabel 2.0. This is the traditional way, the natural endpoint of all the social roles around the necro-cav relationship, the natural endpoint of all the trials we've seen throughout the book.

HtN and NtN are both Antithesis. In HtN Harrow rejects lyctorhood and the normal social order in a desperate and ostensibly futile attempt to preserve Gideon's soul. We are also introduced to G1deon and Pyrrha's similar version and the whole souls sharing bodies like musical chairs concept. Crucially, while this is a rejection of Jod's violent social order, it's neither sustainable nor healthy for either person. This is elaborated further in NtN as we see the strain that Cam and Pal's cohabitation puts on Cam's body. There's also the... everything going on with Nona but that's a slightly different topic so I'll neglect it for now. Cam and Pal find some kind of solution in Paul, but while it's kind of presented as good for them and what they want, I think it's entirely intentional that it doesn't feel positive to the reader. We are still in antithesis: a soul melding that destroys both participants equally to make something new isn't exactly a resounding success! It's better than turning Cam into a battery for Pal to consume for eternity but like. Not precisely a win.

All of this is setting up Alecto the Ninth, which will be the Synthesis book. I don't know what this will look like precisely, because I can't read Tamsyn Muir's mind, but I think it's a safe guess to say there's going to be some kind of 'third way' opening up. Alecto herself is going to be crucial in that given the alternate form of lyctorhood we can assume is represented by her and Jod.

This also is not, by any means, everything happening in these books - just the throughline regarding Lyctorhood specifically. I strongly expect we're going to see Anastasia and Samuel come up again, given their supposed "failed" lyctorhood and all the open questions still around that.

[harrowharks-iliac-crest]

Gideon Nav

Characters

<< Previous: The River | Masterpost

-

I don't have thaaaat many questions left with regards to Gideon, which is why she is first, and this post will be fairly short. (I love her though. Her bits in HtN are just so lush. Looooove Gideon.)

During re-reading, I sometimes questioned whether Gideon was really Wake's baby. It's made clear by Wake that she was. She could have been lying, but their physical similarity is stated, so I'll believe it.

For a moment though, I was gung-ho on the idea that she might have been Alecto's genetically, that somehow BoE/Lyctors had gotten a hold of Alecto's eggs. It would explain... some things.

But the red hair. Is Alecto's hair colour ever mentioned?

But the fact that she's frozen forever and only Harrow ever opened the tomb, as far as we know. Though they could have had eggs extracted and preserved somehow - before Alecto went into the tomb? She's immortal; God's sperm was immortal; if there were eggs, they would easily survive a myriad years. Still kiiiinda a theory, just one I find very unlikely at this point.

Gideon's body doesn't rot, ostensibly, cus she's part God. Though I have found myself wondering if God's perfect-preservation power is John's, or Alecto's? We'll get to that.

I was also wondering if a part of Gideon died, back when she was nerve gassed with the other kids. A part which would have gone on to live in and as Harrow. Perhaps this explains Harrow's unwillingness to ever die.

I have a feeling that Gideon's soul and body will stay relevant, even though I don't know exactly how.

>> Next: Wake

[paradoxcase]

Chapter 26 of Nona the Ninth

A fourth skull, so another skull that corresponds to zero characters in this book that I know of. Aim/The Angel/The Messenger also isn't in this one, it's just the kids

Dark and blueless night - heh

Good on Palamedes

What is their plan, here? Camilla is going to have some conversation with Gideon/Kiriona while hopped up on a ton of pain meds? If they planned this out earlier, Nona didn't report it. And I see Pyrrha trying to get in a probably-family-related conversation with her there. Actually, I think everyone else other than Judith probably has more to talk about with Kiriona than Camilla does

At this description, I was like, oh, yeah, the Convoy was definitely 100% some BOE shit, wasn't it? Also, more of Pash's weird fear of Gideon/Kiriona's body

I really hope Judith makes it out of this book alive at this point

I'm sorry, Corona, Linkin Park has permanently ruined that line for me

So that is stuff that Honesty said when telling his story about the Convoy, and in that scene he was eating Nona's fruit, which was described as

but Nona gave away all of her fruit, just like she always does, she didn't eat any of it. Maybe she's eaten that kind of fruit before and knows what it tastes like, she seems to know how to eat it, anyway - but why would she associate the memory of tasting this fruit with this story when she didn't actually eat that fruit here? Like it sounds like she was somehow experiencing Honesty's tasting of the fruit in this scene. Maybe additional evidence of some telepathy thing?

You know, I think this ship could be a lot of fun, actually

I don't know if this means that Alecto's like, OG resurrection beast form is going to turn out to be some kind of cosmic spider, or if Nona is just missing normally being a lot taller than Harrow is, which seems likely if the body that John made for Alecto was approximately average

I need more scenes of Pash interacting with these two

Honestly, my first reaction to this was "earlier this week? That was like a month ago, wasn't it?" But no, this really is still just day five from when this book began, the whole thing has happened in less than a week, it just was like a month ago when I read that part. God damn

Does Nona know about something that could be termed "double death" at this point? I don't think she knows anyone or anything who's died twice, has she? There are some people who died once and came back (although, I'm not sure if she actually knows that Palamedes and Pyrrha died), and there's Naberius's corpse that's been wandering around lately, but I don't think she's seen anyone die twice yet, unless you count herself getting headshotted twice, but that "double death" was not final

So this is not some weird translation that Nona did, her name actually means "hot sauce" in the language that she speaks natively

I think this is probably the end of Hot Sauce and Honesty in this book. We've tied up the story behind Hot Sauce's name, the Convoy story, the map from the classroom, and Hot Sauce telling Nona she was out of the gang, so I don't think there are any remaining plot threads to resolve with them. I wasn't real invested in these characters originally, but I think I'll miss them now. I wonder what Hot Sauce would think if she ever found out that Nona wasn't just a "zombie" but actually like Varun the Eater's sister? Would she be out of the gang again?

[seren-the-ninth]

@y-rhywbeth2, @theannoyingurge

I repeat your last paragraph and have taken you up on it, sorry about that.

"so I know this isn't how the game works, but tell you what, if you're following me and you haven't done it and want to tell me about you, do consider yourself tagged."

Last Song: Starlight by Muse on Spotify. On Amazon Music it was In the Hall of the Mountain King as my little one likes stomping around to it.

Favourite Colour: purple, black.

Last Book: Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Still processing. Will probably go back to Gideon and read them all again when Alecto is announced (please let it be this year!).

Last Movie: Does Wallace and Gromit count? I tried to watch this over Christmas but my little one freaked out over the gnomes and I still haven't finished it. At the cinema, the last film I watched was Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. It was fun.

Last Game: Baldur's Gate 3. I have no space for anything else. Literally lol. All I have on my gaming laptop is The Sims 4 and BG3.

Last Show: Unwillingly, Superwings, which is a weird blend of Paw Patrol, Go Jetters, Postman Pat and Transformers. I also get subjected to a lot of Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol. I don't mind Bluey.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Sweet. A very, very sweet tooth runs in my family. I am not good with spicy food but I'm not quite as bad as my partner who thinks paprika is spicy.

Relationship: I'm getting married in June, to my Gale-alike-fiance, who is usually referred to as Dr Dekarios in my posts. He really is a scientist but unfortunately lost his white coat (that had his name stitched on it!) during an office move before I met him, much to my disappointment. One of these days I'll get round to buying him another. Anyway, yeah, getting hitched lol.

Last internet search: Alnmouth - I was trying to find the name of the place I stayed in many years ago for a ghost hunting weekend with my cousin. I didn't find it, but it came to me as I was flicking through Wikipedia - The Schooner. No we didn't see anything, except for a lot of empty wine glasses (we emptied the bar of rosé), but I recommend visiting Alnwick for the castle and Barter Books if you're ever in the area. Beautiful coast up there.

Tags: if you want to, give it a go! I've seen a few of these but I've no idea who has done them or not as I have no memory for names.

[docholligay]

Obviously we're different people with different life experiences and tastes, but reading your HtN review I think we had a very similar takeaways. I hated the first book, but found the second a vast improvement (aside from Gideon). I hope one day you read Nona, because I think it's my favorite of the bunch (though it has its own stupid bullshit, but it's truly a book about love, devotion, and the burden of that) -- but it also made me think I'll never read Alecto. I don't trust Muir, I guess?

I think "I don't trust you" is the perfect takeaway I have from having read Gideon and Harrow. If I had to put up with another book full of ridiculous memey bullshit I would have to throw myself into the sun. I know there can be beauty in her work because I HAVE SEEN IT WITH MINE OWN EYES, but so much of it is wrapped up in her weird "I was very oniine in the same time Holligay was also in online fandom and it shows" stuff and that GRATES on me.

So, there is stuff i loved in Harrow! I still think about Mercymorn and how much I love her as a character and even UNDERSTAND her on a base level. It is unflattering, but she is the most 'tag yourself' of the entire bookverse for me. ANd even in Gideon, which I much more out and out hated, I will scream until my DEATH how much I fucking LOVE the necro/cav thing, and that it can be used to describe so many TYPES of intense relationship. It's also fun to think about with one's blorbim*! Love it. I think it's great.

But yeah, I have 0% faith that the third book would be good, because I have read the first book and the first book at a certain point made me APOPLECTIC. Absolutely LOST MY SHIT about how mad it made me. So do I want to risk that, when I have a huge backlog of books to read and basically never find myself wondering what to read next? Not really, no.

*Lena is a cavalier and Michiru is a necromancer. Fucking obviously.